PSLV-C6 places CARTOSAT-1 and HAMSAT in orbit

PSLV-C6 places CARTOSAT-1 and HAMSAT in orbit

India Space Research Organization (ISRO) has made history with their latest accomplishment. They have managed to successfully place two satellites named CARTOSAT-1 and HAMSAT in the earth’s orbit. 18 minutes after the PSLV-C6 lifted off in the space from the Sriharikota launch pad in South India, India’s remote sensing satellite CARTOSAT-1 was successfully placed in the orbit. A few moments later, it completed its mission by placing the HAMSAT in orbit. The ISRO later confirmed the success of the mission.

CARTOSAT-1 satellite has a life of around 5 years and would be mainly used for cartographic applications. While, HAMSAT with a life of two years is a micro satellite designed for providing satellite-based Amateur Radio Services to the national as well as the international community of Amateur Radio Operators (HAMs). It is expected to meet the long felt need of the Amateur Radio Operators in the South Asian region who possess the required equipment and operate in the UHF/VHF band based satellite radio communication.

CARTOSAT-1 is also equipped to function as a unit to provide remote sensing services by providing imagery with improved spatial resolution. It would send data to the labs on the planet to provide enhanced inputs for large scale mapping applications and simulate newer applications in the urban and rural development. This would also help in updating topographic maps, besides generation of large-scale topographic maps.