Recently, the Space Applications Centre (ISRO) and the Indian Navy have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that is aimed at data sharing and promoting cooperation on Satellite-based Naval Applications in the fields of Oceanology and Meteorology.
Key Highlights of The MoU
This MoU aims at enhancing collaboration and initiating a common platform of mutual cooperation. It will allow the scientific advancements made by the Space Applications Centre to be combined with the efforts of the Indian Navy in order to maintain pace with the rapid development in the field of Satellite Data retrieval and applications.
The cooperation will include various dimensions such as sharing of non-confidential observational data, operational exploitation of Space Applications Centre-generated weather products, and providing Subject Matter Experts for processing satellite data towards the development of new tools. Furthermore, it will involve providing calibration and validation of ocean models.
About the Space Applications Centre
The Space Applications Centre is a major research and development centre operating under the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is based in Ahmedabad and conducts multi-disciplinary activities. The primary focus of the Centre lies in the development of space-borne and air-borne instruments/payloads and their use for national development and societal benefits. These applications cater to the country’s needs in communication, navigation, and remote sensing.
Achievements of the Space Applications Centre
The Centre has contributed significantly to various scientific and planetary missions of ISRO, including Chandrayaan-1, Mars Orbiter Mission, among others. The communication transponders developed by this Centre for Indian National Satellite (INSAT) and Geo Synchronous Satellite (GSAT) series are extensively used by the government and the private sector for VSAT, DTH, internet, broadcasting, telephones, etc.
Understanding Geostationary Orbit in Relation to Telecommunication Satellites
Satellites used for telecommunication relay are kept in a geostationary orbit. A satellite is said to be in a geostationary orbit under certain conditions such as, the orbit being geosynchronous, lying in the plane of the Earth’s equator, and at an altitude of 22,236 km. These satellites play an instrumental role in global communications and weather forecasting. A geo-synchronous orbit is one where the orbital period matches the Earth’s rotation, i.e., 24 hours. A geo-stationary orbit is a type of circular geo-synchronous orbit that encircles the equator directly above it. The typical distance of a geostationary orbit from the Earth’s surface is 35,786 km.