Mar 17, 2023

Indian Remote Sensing Satellite, IRS-1A

A forerunner for operational era
K Kasturirangan and V Jayaraman

BACKGROUND

The Indo-USSR cooperation is undoubtedly one of the best examples of international cooperation in Space. For India, this collaboration played a catalytic role in the early years of building capability in satellite technology and greatly assisted in accelerating the Indian efforts of using space technology for national development. These cooperative efforts essentially got a boost with India signing an agreement with the Academy of Sciences of the USSR on 10th May 1972. USSR assigned the practical implementation of the Agreement to DB Yuzhnoye, under its Interkosmos programme of doing joint research with other countries. The agreement culminated in the successful launch of India’s first satellite, ARYABHATA, on 19th April 1975 by a Soviet rocket carrier Interkosmos from Kapustin Yar cosmodrome. ARYABHATA was followed by launching by USSR of two experimental earth observation satellites, BHASKARA-1 & 2 in 1979 and 1981 respectively from Kapustin Yar. In addition to the free launch, USSR supplied the reaction control system, solar panels, thermal paints, chemical battery and tape recorders, besides providing TTC support from the Bears Lake station near Moscow. BHASKARA missions provided valuable experience in a number of inter-related disciplines of space-based remote sensing system for resource survey and management such as understanding how to configure, design and qualify a remote sensing platform and to devise a compatible ground segment for data collection and in-orbit mission management as well as demonstrating the methodologies for using remote sensing technology for specific applications.

Thus, the genesis of the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite-1A (IRS-1A) can be traced to BHASKARA 1&2 and various initiatives taken during the period around them. The long term planning of Indian Space programme itself had envisaged the realisation of an operational capability in remote sensing using space-based platforms as one of the high priority items. As a part of evolving this strategy, ISRO had conducted in 1970s a number of aerial flights, developed a variety of sensors, ground-based data processing and interpretation hardware & software as well as carrying out a number of demonstration studies. Data from the American LANDSAT 1& 2 satellites launched in 1972 and 1975 were also used in a number of demonstration studies, more regularly so once a data reception from these satellites were formalised at NRSA in 1979. This was around this time that the framework for Indian Remote Sensing satellite was conceived and conceptualised. ISRO realised the importance of involving the end-users right from the beginning of the planning process. With this in view the Joint Experiment Programme (JEP) was taken up in 1978 in association with user Ministries. It was yet another significant step along with the successful completion of experimental BHASKARA missions that aimed at laying a foundation for an Indian Remote Sensing Satellite.

Further, early 80s also saw the emergence of the unique institutional strategy, namely the National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS), wherein the traditional techniques as well as the remote sensing technology were integrated to provide timely, accurate and specific information on natural resources to decision makers at various levels. As a part of preparatory activities of NNRMS, around 60 well-defined experiments to demonstrate the utilisation of remote sensing in various application areas were conducted. NNRMS itself came into being through a national conference held in May 1983 with the participation of various Ministries and the Planning Commission, with Department of Space identified as the nodal agency. Mid-80s also saw feverish activities around the country in establishing facilities in many States as well as developing educational courses towards capacity building in anticipation of the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite programme. As a pre-investment to the proposed launch of IRS-1A, an IRS Utilisation Programme (IRS-UP) was also launched with 16 projects identified to address specific stated areas of natural resources management; with the data from LANDSAT satellites used initially for appropriate methodology definition in each case in anticipation of similar data from the planned IRS missions. The country was, thus, well prepared by these systematic steps taken in advance to the very launch of the IRS-1A satellite.

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