Bhaskara (satellite)

Bhaskara I

Mission type	Experimental Remote Sensing Earth Obsservation Satellite
Mission duration	10 years (Re-Entered in 1989)[1]
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Unmanned
Manufacturer	ISRO
Launch mass	444 kilograms (979 lb)
Power	47 watts
Start of mission
Launch date	7 June 1979 (1979-06-07Z) IST
Rocket	C-1 Intercosmos Launch Vehicle
Launch site	Kapustin Yar

Bhaskara-I and II were two satellites built by the Indian Space Research Organisation that formed India's first low-Earth orbit Earth observation satellite. They collected data oceanography and hydrology. Both satellites are named after ancient Indian mathematicians Bhāskara I and Bhāskara II.^[2]

Bhaskara-I

Bhaskara-I, weighing 444 kg at launch, was launched on 7 June 1979 from Kapustin Yar aboard the Intercosmos launch vehicle. It was placed in an orbital Perigee and Apogee of 394 km and 399 km at an inclination of 50.7°.^[3] The satellite consisted of-

• Two television cameras operating in visible (600 nanometre) and near-infrared (800 nanometre) and collected data related to hydrology, forestry and geology.
• Satellite microwave radiometer (SAMIR) operating at 19 and 22 GHz for study of ocean-state, water vapour, liquid water content in the atmosphere, etc.
• An X-ray sky monitor operating in 2-10 keV energy range, to detect transient X-ray sources and monitor long term spectral and intensity changes in the X-ray sources.

Bhaskara-II

The satellite provided ocean and land surface data. It orbited at 541 × 557 km with an inclination of 50.7°.

One of two onboard cameras malfunctioned, however it sent back more than two thousand images. Housekeeping telemetry was received until re-entry in 1991.^[5]

1984 USSR stamp featuring Bhaskara-I, Bhaskara-II and Aryabhata satellites

See also

• List of Indian satellites

References

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