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INSAT 2

As noted in the section on communications satellites, India's INSAT series of geostationary spacecraft perform the dual missions of communications and meteorology. INSAT 1-class satellites carry a Very High Resolution Radiometer (VHRR) working in the visible (0.55-0.75, µm) and IR (10.5-12.5 µm) bands with resolutions of 2.75 km and 11 km, respectively. Likemany GEO meteorological satellites, INSAT 1spacecraft require 30 minutes to complete a full Earth scan. Each vehicle is also capable of receiving (on 402.75 MHz) meteorological, hydrological, and oceanographic data from remote data collection platforms for relay to central Indian processing centers.

The INSAT 2 program was inaugurated in 1992 with the launch of INSAT 2A, followed by INSAT 2B in 1993. The spacecraft characteristics and communications payload are described in the section on India's communications systems. For Earth observations, the VHRR was improved with 2-km resolution in the visible band and 8-km resolution in the IR band. In addition to full Earth images, the VHRR can be commanded to scan very limited regions for more rapid return of time-critical data, e.g., during the approach of cyclones to the sub-continent. INSAT 2 satellites also carry the Data Relay Transponder system for collection and retransmission of data. Three additional INSAT 2 satellites are expected to maintain this GEO Earth observation capability into the next century.

The meteorological data gathering with VHRR instrument on board INSAT and its dissemination, along with its collection of remote area meteorological data from unattended platforms, has vastly improved weather forecasting in the country. Satellite based locale-specific disaster warning system has been established with over a hundred disaster warning receivers installed in the cyclone-prone coastal areas. The twin capability of communication and meteorological imaging of INSAT is effectively used not only to track cyclone formations but also to issue warnings to the affected population. About 250 disaster warning receivers have been installed for this purpose along the cyclone-prone east and west coast of India. Several thousand lives have been saved by the INSAT disaster warning system by timely evacuation.