Proposals sought for studying India-French satellite data

CHENNAI - The Indian and French space agencies have sought research proposals on data to be generated from a payload on a satellite to be launched next year.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the French space agency have called for research proposals on the data to be generated from AltiKA, a payload in Satellite with ARgos and AltiKa (SARAL).

“The ISRO built satellite with payloads modules (AltiKa altimeter, DORIS, LRA and ARgos-3, data collection system) provided CNES will be launched by Indian rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle into the sun synchronous orbit (SSO),” S. Satish, director, Publications and Public Relations, told IANS from Bangalore.

According to ISRO, the objective of the SARAL/AltiKa mission is to realise precise, repetitive global measurements of sea surface height, significant wave height and wind speed for developing operational oceanography, understanding of climate variability and developing forecasting capabilities.

AltiKa will be the first space borne altimeter to operate in Ka band.

Data from the payloads are meant for addressing various research areas, primarily in oceanographic and atmospheric science.

For those Indian researchers who are in need, ISRO will provide the funding support.

The total satellite mass will be less than 450 kg and that of the payload will be less than 200 kg.

ISRO officials are not able to comment on the main luggage that the rocket would carry as PSLV can carry higher weight.

ISRO and CNES had signed an MOU for SARAL in 2007.