24971 - IRS-1D

IRS 1D is an Indian remote sensing Sun-synchronous orbiter that was launched by a PSLV-1C (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) rocket from Sriharikota (in southeast India) at 04:47 UT on 29 September 1997. (The 44.4-meter, four-stage, 468-ton PSLV-1C complex is now an operational vehicle, after earlier test launches.) It is the fourth of the IRS series. Orbit maneuvers raised the perigee. Initial orbital parameters were period 95.9 min, apogee 803 km, perigee 288 km, and inclination 98.6 deg.

The 1,200 kg orbiter carries three main instruments: a panchromatic camera (PAN), a linear imaging self-scanner (LISS-3), and a wide field sensor (WIFS). PAN has reflective optics and the other have two refractive optics. The color imagery will have a resolution of 23.5 meters and the black and white, 5 meters. An on-board tape recorder stores data over unreachable intervals. Sensed data on Indian and foreign terrains were sold through an American company (after the usual clearance by Indian military).
Alternate Names

Indian Remote Sensing Satellite 1D

Facts in Brief

Launch Date: 1997-09-29
Launch Vehicle: PSLV
Launch Site: Sriharikota, India
Mass: 920.0 kg