CARTOSAT: A Milestone achieved by India

CARTOSAT is the one of the most advanced remote sensing systems launched by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) so far. In the history of remote sensing it is a milestone achieved by India.

The main purpose of this mission is to provide large-scale high resolution satellite imagery which can efficiently be used for cartographic purposes. These are particularly very useful for urban planners in urban mapping and planning. Till date two satellites are launched in CARTOSAT series- CARTOSAT-1 and CARTOSAT-2.

CARTOSAT-1

It is the first in the CARTOSAT series and was launched in May 2005 by satellite launch vehicle PSLV-C6. It operates in panchromatic mode (black & white) in the EMR’s range of 0.50 micron to 0.85 micron. It carries two cameras to generate stereoscopic images. It provides spatial resolution of 2.5mx2.5m and radiometric resolution of 10-bit. Its revisit period is of 5 days.

The stereoscopic capability of CARTOSAT-1 gives it edge over many other remote sensing systems internationally. We can generate Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and 3-D maps using its stereo-images. Apart from cartographic applications CARTOSAT-1 images are useful in resource management, pre & post disaster planning & management.

CARTOSAT-2

The second satellite of CARTOSAT series was launched in January 2007. It also operates in panchromatic mode with a spectral band of 0.50-0.85 micron. It is a very high resolution sensor system with less than one meter spatial resolution. Its revisit period is of 4-days.It will be highly useful for urban, rural planning and in cadastral level studies. It has already started acquiring images successfully. ISRO recently released some sample images acquired by CARTOSAT-2.