ISRO Launches EMISAT Satellite

ISRO Launches EMISAT Satellite

The lndian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched the EMISAT satellite on onboard the PSLV-C45 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) was also carrying 28 international nanosatellite-24 from the US, two from Lithuania and one each from Spain and Switzerland. The flight of PSLV was also the longest mission of the PSLV, lasting around three hours.

EMISAT Satellite:

• The EMISAT satellite is aimed at electromagnetic spectrum measurement.
• It is an electronic intelligence satellite for the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO).

About Satellite:

➧Mass : 436 kg

➧Manufacture : ISRO

➧Orbit Type : Sun-synchronous Polar orbit (SSPO)

➧Altitude : About 753 kg

Polar Orbit :

• A Polar orbit travels north-south over the poles and takes approximately 90 minutes for a full revolution.
• These orbits have an inclination near 90 degrees. These allows the satellite to see virtually every part of the Earth as the Earth rotates underneath it.
• A orbit is called sun-synchronous when the line joining the center of the Earth and the satellite and the Sun is constant throughout  the orbit.

Purpose of Satellite:

• EMISAT is an all weather and all terrain condition satellite, which will allow it to work through clouds, rain, forest and coastal areas.
• EMISAT is an ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) satellite, which means it will have a radar to measure the electromagnetic spectrum - so as to intercept and analyze radar signals, find their location, identify the hostile radars based on their radio frequency (RF) signature.
• This will be a vital tool for India when EMISAT along with the Airbone Warning and control System (AWACS) can effectively locate, tackel and silence enemy radars, and secure Indian airspace.

Significance of Launch :

• This mission was significant as this was the first time a PSLV has placed objects in three different orbits.
• The fourth stage was restarted and stopped twice to bring PSLV to the altitude of 507 km after EMISAT launch.
• At the fourth stage three experimental payloads were deployed:
• Automatic Identification System (AIS) for Maritime satellite applications capturing messages transmitted from ships
• Automatic Packet Repeating System (APRS) from AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) , India-assists amateur radio operators in tracking and monitoring position data
• Advance Retarding Potential Analyzer for Ionospheric Studies (ARIS) from Indian Institute of Space and Technology (IIST) - for the structural and compositional studies of the ionosphere.
• This is the first time it has been envisaged to provide a micro-gravity environment for research organizations and academic institutes to perform experiments.