ISRO Launches PSLV C-54/EOS-06 Mission

ISRO Launches PSLV C-54/EOS-06 Mission

Subject : Science and Technology

Context : The Indian Space Research Organization launched PLV-C54/EOS-06 Mission with Oceans-3 and eight nanosatellites on board from Sriharikota spaceport.

Concept : 

• The PLV-C54/EOS-06 Mission includes EOS-06 (Oceans-3), plus eight nanosatellites which are BhutanSat, ‘Anand’ from Pixxel, Thybolt two numbers from Dhurva Space andAstrocast-four numbers from Spaceflight USA.

BhutanSat

• ISRO Nano Satellite-2 for Bhutan (INS-2B) spacecraft is configured with INS-2 Bus. INS-2B will have two payloads namely NanoMx and APRS-Digipeater. NanoMx is a multispectral optical imaging payload developed by Space Applications Centre (SAC).

Anand

• The Anand Nano satellite is technology demonstrator to demonstrate the capabilities and commercial applications of miniaturized earth-observation camera for earth observation using a microsatellite in Low Earth Orbit.
• This is a three-axis stabilized satellite consisting of a satbus, accommodating all subsystems like telemetry, tele-command, Electrical Power system, Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS), on-board computers etc.

Astrocast

• Astrocast, a 3U spacecraft is a technology demonstrator satellite for the Internet of Things (IoT) as the payload. There are 4 nos. of Astrocast Satellites in this mission. These spacecraft are housed within an ISISpaceQuadPack dispenser.
• The dispenser protects the satellite from contamination.

Thybolt

• The Thybolt is a 0.5U spacecraft bus that includes a communication payload to enable rapid technology demonstration and constellation development for multiple users.
• It also demonstrates Store-and-Forward functionality for authorized users in the amateur frequency band. The satellites shall be deployed by using Dhruva Space Orbital Deployer to perform the specific mission operations for a minimum lifetime of 1 year.

About EOS-06 Satellite

• The EOS-6 is a third-generation earth observation satellite in the Oceansat series of satellites.
• This is to provide continuity services for Oceansat-2 spacecraft with enhanced payload specifications as well as application areas.
• The payloads are Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM-3), Sea Surface Temperature Monitor and Ku-Band Scatterometer (SCAT-3), and ‘ARGOS’ Mission.
• ARGOS is the global satellite-based data collection and location system of its kind dedicated to studying and preserving the environment.

What is EOS?

• An EOS or Earth remote sensing satellite is a satellite used or designed for Earth observation (EO) from orbit.
• It includes spy satellites and similar ones intended for non-military uses such as environmental monitoring, meteorology, cartography, and others.
• The most common type is Earth-imaging satellites that take satellite images, analogous to aerial photographs.
• Some EOS may perform remote sensing without forming pictures, such as in GNSS radio occultation.

Different nomenclature

• Two years ago, ISRO had moved to a new naming system for its earth observation satellites which till then had been named thematically, according to the purpose they were meant for.
• The Cartosat series of satellites were meant to provide data for land topography and mapping, while the Oceansat satellites were meant for observations overseas.
• Some INSAT-series, Resourcesat series, GISAT, Scatsat, and a few other earth observation satellites were named differently for the specific jobs they were assigned to do, or the different instruments that they.
• All these would now become part of the new EOS series of satellites.