The Isro has said that the launch of earth observation satellite Geo Imaging Satellite (Gisat-1) has been call... Read More

BENGALURU: The Indian Space Research Organisation ( Isro ) on Wednesday said that the launch of earth observation satellite Geo Imaging Satellite ( Gisat-1 ) has been called off “due to technical reasons.” The launch was scheduled for 5.43pm Thursday.

The space agency did not elaborate on the details of the technical problem that has led to the postponement of the launch. “Revised launch date will be informed in due course,” it said.

Gisat-1 was to be the first state-of-the art earth observation satellite to be placed in the geostationary or the geosynchronous equatorial orbit (GEO). Designed to provide near real-time images of large areas of region of interest at frequent intervals, the satellite, whenever launched, will hold the potential of even aiding the country’s armed forces to plan operations.

“Operating from geostationary orbit , GISAT-1 will facilitate near real time observation of the Indian sub-continent, under cloud free condition, at frequent intervals,” Isro had earlier said.

Weighing 2,268 kg, the satellite was to be launched by the GSLV-F10, in the 14th flight of the heavy lift rocket which is slated to even carry humans to space in 2022.

According to Isro, the satellite will also provide spectral signatures for agriculture, forestry, mineralogy, disaster warning, cloud properties, snow, glaciers and oceanography.

It will be equipped with six-band multispectral visible & near-InfraRed imaging sensor with 42m resolution, 158-band hyper-spectral visible & near-InfraRed sensor with 318m resolution and 256-band hyper-spectral short wave-InfraRed sensor with 191m resolution.

Isro had earlier said that a “four metre diameter Ogive-shaped payload fairing (heat shield) is being flown for the first time in this GSLV flight. This is the fourteenth flight of the GSLV.

