India to launch satellites next year to study climate change

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch three satellites — Megha-Tropiques, SARAL and RISAT-1 — next year to study climate change, said ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan during an international conference on ‘Recent advances in space technology services and climate change – 2010,' held at Sathyabama University, Chennai.

Radhakrishnan said that ISRO and the French National Space Agency (CNES) would be launching Megha-Tropiques by mid-2011 to study tropical climate. While two sensors were developed by CNES, the two jointly worked on a sensor. Another ISRO-CNES mission to be launched next year is SARAL (Satellite for Argos and Altika) for seasonal forecasting, oceanography and climate studies. ISRO would provide the platform and overseeing satellite operations, including launch, orbit acquisition and station keeping. The CNES would provide the payload and process data.

Also to be launched next year, the Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT-1), a microwave remote sensing satellite, will provide all-weather surveillance. Hylas, a communication satellite, would be launched on November 27; GSAT -5P in December and RESOURCESAT- 2 along with YOUTHSAT in January 2011.

National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) director V. Jayaraman said the space technology could provide unbiased inputs to find out climate change variables and monitor change. 

Source: The Hindu