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About IRS-1C

IRS-1C was an Earth-imaging satellite from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) which launched on 28 December 1995 and ceased operations in 2007.

The IRS (Indian Remote Sensing) satellites form a large family of Earth observation satellites operated by ISRO.

IRS-1C and IRS-1D were identical satellites launched two years apart.

IRS-1C Mission Specifications
PayloadThree solid state Push Broom Cameras:
PAN (<6 metre solution )
LlSS-3(23.6 metre resolution)
and WiFS (189 metre resolution)
Orbit Height817 km
Orbit TypeSun-synchronous near-polar
Inclination98.69°
Repeat Cycle24 days
Mission completed on21 September 2007

IRS-1C Objectives

The primary objective of IRS-1C was to provide systematic and repetitive acquisition of data of Earth’s surface under nearly constant illumination conditions.

IRS-1C Instruments

Panchromatic Camera (PAN)

Data in the panchromatic region is useful in geological studies for mapping geological and geomorphological features. Higher spatial resolution is useful for urban planning studies and detecting urban fringe growth.

PAN Instrument Specifications
Spectral range0.5 - 0.75 µm
Spatial resolution= 10 m (5.6 m at nadir)
Swath width70 km nadir view
(91 km swath for the most inclined cross-track view)
Off-nadir viewing capability± 26º swath steering range
(with this a revisit cycle of 5 days is achieved)
Repetition cycle24 days
SNR at saturation radiance>64
Data quantization6 bit
Integration time0.8836 ms
Image data rate84.9 Mbit/s
Instrument mass, power230 kg, 55-65 W

 

Linear Imaging Self-Scanning Sensor-III (LISS-III)

LISS is used for monitoring vegetation.

LISS-III Instrument Specifications
Spectral bands (4)B2 : 0.52 - 0.59 µm (Green)
B3 : 0.62 - 0.68 µm (Red)
B4 : 0.77 - 0.86 µm (NIR)
B5: 1.55 - 1.75 µm (SWIR)
Spatial resolution23.5 m (VNIR) and 70.5 m (SWIR)
Swath width142 km (VNIR) and 148 km (SWIR), FOV=±5º
Repetition cycle24 days
SNR at saturation radiance> 128
Focal length of optics system346 mm for each VNIR band, 300 mm for SWIR band
Data quantization7 bit (resolution of 128 grey levels)
Integration time3.55 ms for VNIR, 10.65 ms for SWIR
Data rate35.79 Mbit/s for VNIR, 1.39 Mbit/s for SWIR data
Instrument mass, power171 kg, 74-78 W

 

Wide Field Sensor (WiFS)

The WiFS camera is used for vegetation index mapping.

WiFS Instrument Specifications
Spectral bands0.62 - 0.68 µm (Red),
0.77 - 0.86 µm (NIR)
Spatial resolution188 m
Swath width810 km
Repetition cycle5 days
SNR at saturation radiance>128
Detector array2 x 2048 pixels
Data quantization7 bit (radiometric resolution of 128 grey levels)
Integration time28.42 ms
Data rate2.06 Mbit/s

IRS-1C Data

DATA COLLECTIONS

ESA is offering, for scientific research and application development, access to the full archive of IRS-1C upon submission and acceptance of project proposals. These products are available as part of the GAF Indian Satellite Imagery products.

ESA will support as many high-quality and innovative projects as possible within the quota limit available, therefore only a limited amount of products can be made available to each project.

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