ISRO gets 40% more funds
India’s space research programme
recently got a signifi cant 40% boost
from the union budget for 2009-10.
The bulk of the funds will be used in
ongoing projects like development of the
GSLV Mark III. www.domain-b.com
Chandrayaan-1 develops fault
India’s fi rst moon mission Chandrayaan-I
has lost a major sensor. According to
ISRO Spokesperson S Satish the mission
is not crippled adding, “it is continuing
satisfactorily.” ISRO has devised innovative
technology and is using antenna pointing
mechanism and gyroscopes to overcome the
problem.http://timesofi ndia.indiatimes.com
WorldView-2 to launch on October 6
DigitalGlobe WorldView-2 highresolution
8-band multi-spectral satellite
is scheduled to launch on October 6th,
2009. It is expected to nearly double
DigitalGlobe’s collection capabilities
to approximately 2million sqkms per
day. http://media.digitalglobe.com
CRPF to expedite satellite project
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)
in India will soon approach the ISRO
to expedite the ongoing project of highresolution
satellite imaging and video
mapping of dense forest areas, used by
Naxalites and Jihadis as hideouts. Since
lack of knowledge of the topography
has been the biggest hurdle for security
personnel, CRPF had contacted ISRO
to provide such maps which would help
it carry out its operations with precision
www.timesofi ndia.indiatimes.com
Spot 2 Comes Down
On 30th June, Spot Image in Toulouse
began de-orbiting its venerable Spot 2
Earth observation satellite, which has
been in operation 14 years longer than its
design life of 5 years. Meanwhile, Spot
4 and Spot 5, continue to actively collect
data. Spot 6 and Spot 7 are currently
under development. www.spot.com
Topographic maps of Indian coalfields
The Central Mine Planning and Design
Institute (CMPDI), an arm of the Coal
India Limited, signed an MoU with the
Survey of India (SOI) for preparation
of the large scale updated topographical
maps of 28 major coalfi elds of the country,
based on remote sensing technique. The 5
years project has a budget of Rs 117 crore.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com
Vietnam to receive satellite images
The Ministry of Natural Resources
and Environment (MNRE) recently
opened Vietnam’s fi rst ground station
to receive satellite pictures in Hanoi’s
Tu Liem District. It can receive fi ve
kinds of satellite images with high
resolution, including those transmitted
by Envisat. www.thanhniennews.com
RazakSAT launches successfully
RazakSAT, Malaysia’s second remote
sensing satellite was launched from
Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacifi c Ocean’s
Marshall Islands. RazakSAT carries a high
resolution camera that can take images
from space for different applications to
benefi t not only Malaysia, but countries
along the equatorial region. The orbital
location will enable an increased
frequency of image observation. The
satellite will be operated through its
ground segment in Malaysia, consisting
of a Mission Control Station (MCS)
and Image Receiving and Processing
Station (IRPS). www.mosti.gov.my
Singapore’s CRISP receives GeoEye
The Centre for Remote Imaging,
Sensing and Processing (CRSIP) at the
National University of Singapore has
begun downloading images from the
GeoEye satellite under the terms of an
agreement signed last year. First reception
occurred in May. www.crisp.nus.edu.sg
