ISRO to Launch Singaporean Earth Observation Satellite TeLEOS-02

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in News?
• About Earth Observation Satellite
• Applications of EOS
• ISRO’s EOS Series
• About Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)
• News Summary

Why in News?

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch Singapore’s TeLEOS-2 satellite on April 22, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
• TeLEOS-2 is an earth observation satellite.
• The launch which will be carried out by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

About Earth Observation Satellite

• Earth observation satellite is also known as the Earth remote sensing satellite.
• As the name suggests, these satellites observe the planet Earth from space.
• The first EOS or remote sensing satellite was Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite sent to Earth’s orbit by the Soviet Union in 1957.
• It was used to study the topmost layer of Earth’s atmosphere, the ionosphere.
• Most EOS operate at about 500 to 600 kilometres from the surface of the Earth.

Applications of EOS

• These satellites can be used for various purposes, including environmental monitoring, cartography, navigation and more.
• Military of different countries also use the Earth observation satellite for spying and communication.
• The most common example of applications of EOS are the images of Earth, or the view available in a popular Earth discovery application called Google Earth.

ISRO’s EOS Series

• India currently has 53 operational satellites, of which 21 are earth observation ones and another 21 are communication-based. Remaining are 8 navigation satellites and 3 science satellites.
• In November 2020, With EOS-01, ISRO shifted to a new naming system for its earth observation satellites which were earlier named thematically, according to the purpose they are meant for.
  • For example, the Cartosat series of satellites were meant to provide data for land topography and mapping, while the Oceansat satellites were meant for observations over sea.
• Going forward, all earth observation satellites are named in the EOS-series –
  • EOS-01 was launched successfully in November, 2020.
  • EOS-02 is a microsatellite which will be launched in April, 2022.
  • ISRO failed to put EOS-03 into orbit, due to an unsuccessful attempt in August, 2021.
  • In February 2022, ISRO successfully launched EOS-04.

About Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)

• PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) is an indigenously-developed expendable launch system of the ISRO.
• PSLV has a four-stage system comprising a combination of solid and liquid-fuelled rocket stages.
  • The first stage at the very bottom is solid fuelled having six strap-on solid rocket boosters wrapped around it.
  • Second stage is liquid fuelled whereas the third stage has a solid fuelled rocket motor.
  • At the fourth stage, the launcher uses a liquid propellant to boost in the outer space.
  • It is the first Indian launch vehicle to be equipped with liquid stages.
• Its first successful launch took place in October 1994.
• It can take up to 1,750 kg of payload to Sun-Synchronous Polar Orbits of 600 km altitude.
• During 1994-2017 period, the vehicle had launched 48 Indian satellites and 209 satellites for customers from abroad.
• Besides, the vehicle successfully launched two spacecraft – Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and Mars Orbiter Spacecraft in 2013 – that later travelled to Moon and Mars respectively.

News Summary

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up for another commercial launch when it will carry the Singaporean Earth Observation satellite TeLEOS-02 on board the workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.
• This will be the third launch of the year for ISRO — all three using different launch vehicles.
• With another commercial mission underway, the space agency is reinforcing the government’s plan to increase India’s share in the commercial market, increasing it from the current 2 per cent.

Q1) What is meant by Low Earth Orbit?

Low-Earth orbit (often known as LEO) encompasses Earth-centred orbits with an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 mi) or less. For the purposes of the Commercial Use Policy, low-Earth orbit is considered the area in Earth orbit near enough to Earth for convenient transportation, communication, observation and resupply.

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Q2) What is Payload in Satellite?

The scientific or technological instrument carried on board a satellite for the specific purpose is termed as a payload. Payloads vary in their purpose, size, composition, capabilities, etc.

Source: Isro to launch Singaporean Earth Observation satellite TeLEOS-02 on Saturday | Hindu