ISRO's HySIS earth observation satellite sends back first aerial pictures of Gujarat

ISRO’s newest earth observation satellite in orbit, the HySIS satellite launched on 29 November, has returned its first images of a region in Lakhpat, Gujarat.

Images from the Hyperspectral imaging satellite (HySIS) were processed at the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) in Hyderabad on Sunday, according to a statement . The NRSC is one of ISRO’s centres where data from aerial and satellite sources are managed.

HySIS images will be used for a variety of purposes like agriculture, forestry and geology mapping. ISRO scientists are content with the quality of images sent by HySIS according to sources at ISRO’s Bengaluru headquarters, Press Trust of India reported .

The 380-kilogram HySIS, along with 30 other commercial co-passenger satellites , was placed by the PSLV-CA rocket in ISRO’s successful PSLV-C43 launch mission on 29 November.

The satellite was built to observe the earth’s surface in the visible and infrared wavelength regions in the electromagnetic spectrum. The data could also come in handy to the Indian military, ISRO had  said .

HySIS has two payloads on board: one that can capture images in the visible near-infrared (VNIR) range of the light spectrum, and another in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) range.

The satellite is designed to last five years serving ISRO from Earth’s orbit.