37838 - MEGHA-TROPIQUES

MEGHA-TROPIQUES was launched from Satish Dhawan Space Center on 2011 October 12 at 05:30 UT by a PSLV-C18 rocket. The atmospheric research satellite is a joint program between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and France's Centre National d'Etudes Spaciales (CNES). It is expected to provide general scientific research into the tropical climate, as well as, provide data to watch over the meteorological phenomena in the tropics.

The satellite orbits about 538 miles above Earth, crisscrossing the equator to cover an area stretching between 20 degrees north and south latitude. MEGHA-TROPIQUES is one of the first spacecraft to launch for the Global Precipitation Measurement program, an international network of satellites led by NASA and Japan to track worldwide weather. Megha means "cloud" in Sanskrit, the ancient language of India.

The initial orbital parameters were period = 102.15 minutes, apogee = 868.1 km, perigee = 852.7 km, inclination = 20.0 degrees on 2011 Nov 8 at 04:07:30 UTC.

Facts in Brief

Launch Date: 2011-10-12
Launch Vehicle: PSLV-CA
Launch Site: Sriharikota, India