- CARTOSAT-2
CARTOSAT 2 is an
Earth observation satellite in asun-synchronous orbit . The satellite was built, launched and maintained by theIndian Space Research Organisation . Weighing around 680 kg at launch, its applications will mainly be towardscartography inIndia . It was launched by thePSLV onJanuary 10 ,2007 .CARTOSAT-2 carries a state-of-the-art
panchromatic (PAN) camera that take black and white pictures of the earth in the visible region of theelectromagnetic spectrum . The swath covered by these high resolution PAN cameras is 9.6 km and their spatial resolution is less than 1 metre. The satellite can be steered up to 45 degrees along as well as across the track.CARTOSAT-2 is an advanced remote sensing satellite capable of providing scene-specific spot imagery. The data from the satellite will be used for detailed mapping and other cartographic applications at cadastral level, urban and rural infrastructure development and management, as well as applications in Land Information System (LIS) and Geographical Information System (GIS).
The first imagery, received on 12th Jan 2007, covered a length of 240 km from Paonta Sahib in Shivalik region to
Delhi .Another set of imagery of about 50 km length covered Radha Nagari to Sagoan inGoa . Analysis of the first imagery received atNational Remote Sensing Agency 's data reception station at Shadnagar, near Hyderabad, confirmed excellent performance of the on-board camera.Cartosat-2 can produce images of up to 80 cm in resolution, compared to the 100 cm (1 m) offered by
Ikonos .In the past, India has been buying images from Ikonos at about $20 per square kilometer of imagery.With Cartosat-2 offering better resolution at twenty times lower cost per sq m of imagery, buying images from Ikonos is likely to decline in future.Currently, India buys images worth aboutRupees 2 crore a year fromIkonos .See also
*
CARTOSAT-1
*Cartosat-2A External links
* [http://www.isro.org/pslv-c7/pg6.html ISRO Cartosat 2 Site]
* [http://www.isro.org/pslv-c7/photos/cartosat-2images.htm Imagery from Cartosat 2]
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