Resourcesat-2 cameras to transmit pictures from 28 April

Chennai: All three satellites launched by ISRO's PSLV-C16 mission on 20 April were functioning satisfactorily, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said Monday. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle had placed three satellites, Resourcesat-2, Youthsat and X-Sat, in polar sun-synchronous orbit.

Commands for controlling Resourcesat-2 and Youthsat were being radioed from the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network Centre (ISTRAC), Bangalore, which is connected to a network of stations situated in Lucknow, Mauritius, Biak in Indonesia, Svalbard in the North Pole and Troll in the South Pole.

The three cameras on board Resourcesat-2 will be switched on when the satellite makes a pass over 3,000 km of the Indian landmass, from Joshimutt in Uttarakhand to Kannur in Kerala on 28 April. These cameras will transmit pictures to earth.

ISRO said the cameras had been oriented.

The satellite's two solar panels unfolded as soon as the satellite entered orbit, ISRO said. The Resourcesat-2's systems have been checked before the switching-on of cameras. The pictures will be received by the National Remote Sensing Centre at Shadnagar, near Hyderabad.

The PSLV-C16 mission placed three satellites - Resourcesat-2, Youthsat and X-Sat - in polar sun-synchronous orbit on 20 April. All three are functioning satisfactorily, ISRO said.