[VOLUME 5 I ISSUE 4 I OCT. – DEC.

2018] e ISSN 2348 –1269, Print ISSN 2349-5138

http://ijrar.com/ Cosmos Impact Factor 4.236

IRS Satellites: History, Characteristics and Applications

Jitender Saroha
Associate Professor, Dr.B.R.Ambedkar College, University of Delhi, Delhi.

Received: July 09, 2018 Accepted: August 26, 2018

ABSTRACT Indian Earth Observation Satellite programme, since its commencement is focused on societal
benefits and its ultimate objective is sustainable development. To address this goal it is applications driven and within a
limited time period the applications have significantly diversified. The Department of Space (DOS) to achieve its primary
objective of promoting development and application of space science and technology to assist in all-round development
of the nation started the two major satellite series - INSAT and IRS. The information derived from remotely sensed data
is an essential component of the National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS). The Indian Remote Sensing
(IRS) satellite program is to support national and sub national economies in the areas of agriculture , soils, water
resources (surface and ground), forestry and ecology, geology and mineral resources, cartography, rural and urban
development, marine fisheries, watershed management and coastal management. The objectives of the present paper
are – (i) to discuss the evolution of IRS satellites; (ii) to describe characteristics of IRS satellites sensors and (ii) to
highlight the applications of remotely sensed data acquired by IRS series of satellites.
Keywords: IRS, Resources, Applications, Satellite, Sensor

1. History of IRS Satellites:

Since inception, The Department of Space (DOS) has the vision to harness space technology for national
development, while pursuing space science research and planetary exploration. To actualize this vision the
DOS has evolved and focused on four distinct fields – (i) to develop indigenous capability for launching
vehicles and the development and operationalisation of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and
development of Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) are significant achievements in this field;
(ii) the multi-purpose Indian National Satellite (INSAT) programme for the telecommunication,
broadcasting, development of education and meteorology etc; (iii) the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS)
programme for observation of earth surface features for various developmental purposes, and (iv)
Research, Training and advancement in Space Sciences and Technologies for better acquisition and
processing of remotely sensed digital data and to convert it into information for the socio-economic benefit
of the country.
India’s first indigenously designed and developed experimental satellite the Aryabhata (named after the
famous ancient astronomer and mathematician) was successfully launched by a Soviet Kosmos-3M rocket
on April 19, 1975 from Kapustin Yar. Starting from Bhaskara-I, the First Experimental Earth Observation
Remote Sensing Satellite built in India and launched from Vostok, Russia (former USSR), in 1979 to the
latest Cartosat 2 Series satellite launched (by indigenous launch vehicle PSLV) in 2018 a variety of sensors
are operating in visible, infrared, thermal and microwave spectral regions, including hyper-spectral sensors
to acquire digital data at spatial resolutions ranging from 1 km to a meter have been built and launched
indigenously along with satellites of developed nations. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 15
February 2017 in a single launch successfully fixed 104 satellites in orbits; out of these 3 satellites wer e
Indian and rest were of the developed countries mainly the USA. Within a limited time period indigenous
PSLV and GSLV have established huge number of IRS and INSAT series satellites in orbits. The facilities to
receive and process the remotely sensed data have been established in different parts of India along with
various international ground stations. The focus of the present article is the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite
(IRS) series along with sensor characteristics and applications.
In the early experimental phase, Bhaskara-1(June 7, 1979) and Bhaskara-2 (November 20, 1981) provided
data for land applications on the basis of two types of sensor systems – (i) television camera with spatial
resolution of 1 km operated in visible and near infrared bands and (ii) Satellite Microwave Radiometer
(SAMIR) for oceanic and atmospheric applications. Following the success of this experimental phase, India
initiated an indigenous Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS) programme to support national and sub
national economies in the areas of agriculture, soils, water resources (surface and ground), forestry and
ecology, geology and mineral resources, cartography, rural and urban development, marine fisheries,
watershed and coastal management.
Research Paper IJRAR- International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews 815
[ VOLUME 5 I ISSUE 4 I OCT.– DEC. 2018] E ISSN 2348 –1269, PRINT ISSN 2349-5138
The IRS-1A was launched as first indigenous trendsetting operational remote sensing satellite on March 17,
1988 into a Sun-synchronous Polar Orbit (SSPO) by Vostok launch vehicle from Baikonur, former USSR. It
was followed by the IRS-1B, an identical satellite, launched by same vehicle and from the same place on
August 29, 1991. The IRS-1A/1B satellite sensors Linear Imaging Self-Scanning (LISS-I and LISS-II) operated
in visible and near-infrared (NIR) bands with spatial resolutions of 72.5 m and 36.25 m respectively. IRS-P2
satellite was launched (after the failure of IRS-P1 mission on September 20, 1993) by indigenous launch
vehicle PSLV-D2 (P series is named after PSLV) on October 15, 1994 with only LISS-II sensor. LISS-I and
LISS-II sensors provided useful data for applications in the fields of land use land cover mapping,
agriculture, forestry, hydrology, pedology, oceanography, geology, natural resource management, disaster
monitoring, and cartography. To further improve the quality of data IRS-1C and 1D, identical satellites, were
launched with three sensors – LISS-III, PAN (panchromatic) camera and a Wide Field Sensor (WiFS) with
spatial resolutions of 23.5 m, 5.8 m and 188 m, respectively. In addition to fulfilling the general
requirements, theme based IRS missions, for applications like natural resource management
(RESOURCESAT series and RISAT series), ocean and atmospheric studies (OCEANSAT series, Megha-
Tropiques and SARAL) and large scale mapping i.e. detailed mapping applications (CARTOSAT series) have
been introduced and well established (Table 1).
Table 1. History of Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) Satellites and Major Applications
Sl. Name Launch Status Applications
No. Date
1 IRS-1A 17 March Mission Land Use Land Cover Mapping,
1988 Completed Agriculture, Forestry, Hydrology, Soil
in 1992 Classification, Coastal Wetland Mapping,
Natural Resources (especially
2 IRS-1B 29 August Mission identification of potential groundwater
1991 Completed in locations), Disaster Monitoring,
2001 Cartography, etc.
3 IRS-P1 20 Crashed, due Mission Failed
(also IE) September to launch
1993 failure
of PSLV
4 IRS-P2 15 Mission Land, Oceanographic and Atmospheric
October Completed applications
1994 in 1997
5 IRS-P3 21 March Mission Technology Evaluation and Scientific
1996 Completed Methodology Studies
in 2004
6 IRS-1C 28 Mission Land and water resources management.
December Completed Applications in forestry, agriculture,
1995 in 2007 environment, soil characteristics,
wasteland identification, flood and
drought monitoring, ocean resource
development, mineral exploration, land
use and monitoring of underground and
surface water resources.
7 IRS 1D 29 Mission
September Completed
1997 in 2010
8 IRS-P4 27 May Mission Ocean- and atmosphere-related
(Oceansat- 1999 Completed applications
1) in 2010
9 Technology 22 Mission Experimental satellite to demonstrate
Experiment October Completed and validate the technologies
Satellite (TE 2001
S)
10 IRS P6 17 In Service Integrated land and water resources
(Resourcesa October management
t-1) 2003
11 IRS P5 5 May In Service First Indian Satellite (IRS P5) designed
(Cartosat 1) 2005 with capability to have stereo images;

816 IJRAR- International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews Research Paper
[VOLUME 5 I ISSUE 4 I OCT. – DEC. 2018] e ISSN 2348 –1269, Print ISSN 2349-5138
http://ijrar.com/ Cosmos Impact Factor 4.236
12 IRS P7 10 January In Service Digital Elevation Model (DEM);
(Cartosat 2) 2007 Geo-engineering (mapping) applications
13 Cartosat 2A 28 April In Service
2008
14 IMS 1 28 April In Service To provide remotely sensed data to
2008 students and scientists in developing
counties, previously it was referred as
TWsat (Third World satellite)
15 Oceansat-2 23 In Service Ocean- and atmosphere-related
September applications
2009
16 Cartosat-2B 12 July In Service Geo-engineering (mapping) applications
2010
17 Resourcesat 20 April In Service Integrated land and water resources
-2 2011 management
18 Megha- 12 In Service To understand the tropical weather and
Tropiques October climate and associated energy and
2011 moisture budget of the atmosphere in
tropical regions.
19 RISAT-1 26 April In Service In agriculture, especially paddy
2012 monitoring in kharif season (sensor has
cloud penetration and day-night image
capability) and management of natural
disasters like flood and cyclone.
20 SARAL 25 Feb In Service Marine meteorology and sea state
2013 forecasting; Seasonal forecasting;
Climate monitoring and research;
Continental ice studies; Protection of
biodiversity; Management and
protection of marine ecosystem
21 Resourcesat 07 Dec In Service Integrated land and water resources
-2A 2016 management
22 Cartosat-2D 15 Feb In Service Cartographic applications, urban and
2017 rural applications, coastal land use and
regulation, utility management like road
network monitoring, water distribution
23 Cartosat-2E 23 June In Service and creation of land use maps. Change
2017 detection to bring out geographical and
manmade features and various other
Land Information System (LIS) as well
Cartosat-2 F Jan 12, In service as Geographical Information System
24
2018 (GIS) applications.
Source: Data compiled by Author from Indian Space Research Organisation, Department of Space.
2. Characteristics of IRS Satellites:
The quality of data acquired by earth surface observation satellites depends on the sensors used in the
satellites. The four major characteristic features of sensors are spatial resolution, spectral resolution,
radiometric resolution and temporal resolution. Resolution is defined as the ability of the sensor system to
render the information at the smallest discretely separable quantity in terms of distance (spatial),
wavelength band of electromagnetic spectrum (spectral), radiation quantity (radiometric) and revisit
frequency (temporal). In the identical satellites IRS-1A and 1B the Linear Imaging Self-Scanning Sensor
(LISS-I and LISS-IIA/B) of two multispectral cameras were used. Each LISS camera consists of the collecting
optics, imaging detectors, in-flight calibration system, the processing electronics and data formatting
electronics. LISS uses linear array detectors (CCD – charged-couple-devices). These sensors operated in the
visible and near-infrared (NIR) bands. In IRS-P2 satellite LISS-IIM (Linear Imaging Self-Scanning System-II
Modified) sensor was used. It operated in push broom scanning mode as linear CCD line detector in four
spectral bands in VNIR (Visible and near-infrared) bands.

Research Paper IJRAR- International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews 817
[ VOLUME 5 I ISSUE 4 I OCT.– DEC. 2018] E ISSN 2348 –1269, PRINT ISSN 2349-5138
IRS-1C/ID, the identical twin satellites, used LISS-III, PAN (Panchromatic camera) and WiFS (Wide Field
Sensor) camera sensors operating in pushbroom scanning mode using solid state charge-coupled-device
detectors. PAN (Panchromatic camera) is a push broom imager with a very high spatial resolution of 5.8 m.
LISS-III sensor operates in VNIR and SWIR bands with a spatial resolution of 23.5 m and 70.5 m,
respectively. WiFS camera provides two spectral bands in the VNIR range with spatial resolution of 188 m
and temporal resolution of 5 days.
The experimental earth observation satellite IRS-P3 used WiFS and MOS (Multispectral Optoelectronic
Scanner) and IXAE (Indian X-ray Astronomy Experiment) experimental sensors. The payload in IRS-P4 or
Oceansat-1 includes OCM (Ocean Color Monitor) and MSMR (Multi-frequency Scanning Microwave
Radiometer). OCM is a solid-state radiometer with high radiometric sensitivity (12 bit quantization level),
which provides multi-spectral imagery with narrow spectral widths in eight bands in VNIR range. MSMR is a
dual-polarized four-frequency radiometer measuring microwave brightness temperature.
Cartosat-1 or IRS-P5 has PAN-F (Panchromatic Forward-pointing camera) and PAN-A (Panchromatic After-
pointing camera) cameras to obtain two-line stereo configuration for terrain modeling. Each camera
operates in spectral band of 0.5 to 0.85 µm, a spatial or geometric resolution of 2.5 m, a swath width of 30
km for stereo imagery, and data quantization or radiometric resolution of 10 bits. The Cartosat-1 data
products are to two types – standard product which is radiometrically corrected and georeferenced and
precision product which is ortho rectified product.
ResourceSat-1 or IRS-P6 carries three sensors – LISS-III, LISS-IV and AWiFS (Advanced Wide Field Sensor)
and all are push broom scanners using linear arrays of CCDs. LISS-III camera is identical to the one used in
IRS-1C/1D. The LISS-IV is multispectral high-resolution three band push broom camera in VNIR bands with
a spatial resolution of 5.8 m. It can be operated in multispectral mode i.e. data collected in 3 bands and mono
mode i.e. data collected in single selected band corresponding to a swath of 70 km. AWiFS is a wide-angle
medium resolution (56 m nadir and 70 m at swath edge) camera. The wide swath 804 km of this WiFS
heritage sensor provides temporal resolution or revisit frequency of five-day.
Table 2. Characteristics of IRS Satellites
Satellite Sensor Spectral Spatial Swath Temporal Orbit Characteristics
Resolution Resolution width Resolution and Radiometric
(µm) (m) (km) (days) Resolution or
Quantization Level
IRS-1A/1B LISS-I, 0.45-0.52 72.5 m 148 22 Orbit – Sun-
and 0.52-0.59 LISS-I 74 x 2 synchronous;
LISS-II 0.62-0.68 36 m LISS-II Altitude – 904 km;
A/B 0.77-0.86 Inclination – 99.50;
(3 Equatorial crossing –
sensors) 10.26 a.m.;
Orbit Period – 103.2
minutes. Radiometric
Resolution – 7 bit;
IRS-1C/1D LISS-III 0.52-0.59 23.5 142 24 Orbit – Sun-
0.62-0.68 23.5 142 synchronous,
0.77-0.86 23.5 142 Altitude – 904 km;
1.55-1.70 70 148 Inclination – 98.69 0
PAN 0.50-0.75 5.8 70 24 (5) Equatorial crossing –
WiFS 0.62-0.68 188 804 5 10.30 a.m.
0.77-0.86 Orbit Period = 101.23
min.
Radiometric Resolution
– 7 bit, Pan-6 bit

IRS-P3 WiFS 0.62-0.68 188 804 5 Orbit: Sun-synchronous;

0.77-0.86 Equatorial crossing at
1.55-1.70 10:30 AM Altitude = 817
MOS-A 0.75-0.77 1500 195 24 km; Inclination = 98.7º;
MOS-B 0.41-1.01 520 200 Orbit Period = 101.35
MOS-C 1.595-1.605 550 192 min; Radiometric
Resolution – 7 bit

IRS-P4 OCM 0.4-0.9 360 x 236 1420 2 Orbit: Sun-synchronous;

(Oceansat-1) MSMR 6.6, 10.65, 105x68, 1360 2 Altitude = 720 km;
818 IJRAR- International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews Research Paper
[VOLUME 5 I ISSUE 4 I OCT. – DEC. 2018] e ISSN 2348 –1269, Print ISSN 2349-5138
http://ijrar.com/ Cosmos Impact Factor 4.236
18, 21 GHz 66x43, Inclination = 98.28º;
(freq.) 40x26, Orbit Period = 99.31
34x22 min; Equator crossing at
12:00; Spatial Resolution
in km for frequency
sequence; Radiometric
Resolution – 12 bit.
IRS-P6 LISS-IV 0.52-0.59 5.8 70 24 (5) Orbit - Sun-synchronous
ResourceSat- 0.62-0.68 5.8 Altitude = 817 km,
1 0.77-0.86 5.8 Inclination = 98.69º,
LISS-III* 0.52-0.59 23.5 140 24 Orbit Period = 101.35
0.62-0.68 23.5 min;
0.77-0.86 23.5 Equator crossing at
1.55-1.70 23.5 10:30 a.m.
AWiFS 0.62-0.68 56-70 740 5 Radiometric Resolution
0.77-0.86 56-70 – 10 bit
1.55-1.70 56-70
IRS-P5 PAN-F 0.50-0.75 2.5 30 Orbit - Sun-synchronous
CartoSat-1 PAN-A 0.50-0.75 2.5 30 ; Altitude = 618 km;
Inclination =97.87º;
Orbit Period of 97 min;
Equatorial crossing -
10:30 a.m. Radiometric
Resolution – 10 bit
Source: Compiled by Author from ISRO.

3. Applications of IRS satellites:

In 1982 the Planning Commission of India had recognized necessity and significance of establishing a
National Natural Resource Management System (NNRMS) to efficiently manage the natural resources by
applying remote sensing techniques in conjunction with traditional techniques. Planning Committee of
NNRMS (PC-NNRMS) sets guidelines for earth observation based systematic inventory of the country’s
natural resources and oversees the progress of remote sensing applications for natural resources
management in the country. PC-NNRMS in 1984 constituted six Standing Committees on – (i) Agriculture
and Soil; (ii) Bio-resources and Environment; (iii) Geology and Mineral Resources; (iv) Ocean Resources; (v)
Remote Sensing Technology and Training and (vi) Water Resources; and in 1997 three more were
constituted on (vii) Rural Development; (viii) Urban and (ix) Cartography. The themes of these Standing
Committees themselves represent the major fields of applications of information acquired from earth
observation satellite IRS series. The main applications of IRS series satellites are listed in brief in the
following section.
Applications in Agriculture and Soil
The agricultural applications of IRS satellite series are following: - (i) Cropping pattern mapping; (ii) Pre-
harvest crop area, production and yield estimation; (iii) Condition assessment; (iii) Monitoring command
areas; (iv) Compliance monitoring (farming practices) e.g. crop stubble burning; (v) Identification of
suitable sites for different agricultural practices; (vi) Mapping of soil characteristics; (vii) Mapping of soil
management practices; (viii) Mapping of saline soils and monitoring of land reclamation; (ix) Inventorying
and categorization of wastelands; and (x) Identification of fishery prospects.

Applications in Bio-resources and Environment

The applications of IRS satellite series in forestry, biodiversity and ecosystem sustainability are following: -
(i) Mapping of forest cover, types, density and species inventory; (ii) Measurement of biophysical conditions
of forest strands; (iii) Social forestry and agroforestry mapping; (iv) Biomass estimation; (v) Afforestation
and deforestation assessment; (vi) Forest fire surveillance; (vii) Forest health and vigor monitoring; (viii)
Detailed survey and inventory of the existing bio-resources; (ix) Environmental impact assessment
including pollution (land, water and air); (x) Mapping and monitoring of tiger reserves, elephant corridors,
biosphere reserves, mangroves and coral reefs; (xi) Assessment of fuel wood and timber resources; and
(xii) Environmental hazard related studies like zonation and damage assessment (floods, drought, cyclone,
landslide, volcano, earthquake etc.).

Research Paper IJRAR- International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews 819
[ VOLUME 5 I ISSUE 4 I OCT.– DEC. 2018] E ISSN 2348 –1269, PRINT ISSN 2349-5138
Applications in Geology and Mineral Resources
Geological applications of IRS series satellites include the following: - (i) mapping of surfacial deposits and
bedrock; (ii) Lithological and structural mapping; (iii) Mineral prospecting and exploration; and (iv) Geo-
hazard mapping, monitoring and zonation.
Applications in Oceanography
The applications of IRS series satellites, especially Oceansat-1 and Oceansat-2, include the following: - (i)
Identification of potential fishery zones; (ii) Phytoplankton abundance and habitat assessment; (iii)
Observation of marine pollution and sedimentation and its impact; and (iv) Assessment of sediment
dynamics, tidal fluctuations, sea level changes and coastal circulations.
Applications in Water Resources
The applications of IRS series satellite data products in water resource include the following: - (i) Mapping
of surface water bodies; (ii) Identification of potential ground water resources; (iii) Wetland mapping and
monitoring; (iv) Snow pack and glacial monitoring; (v) Ice thickness measurements; (vi) Rivers, watersheds
and ice lake monitoring and modelling; (vii) Flood mapping and monitoring; (viii) Monitoring reservoir
extends over seasons and irrigation scheduling and flood management; and (ix) Snowmelt runoff
forecasting.
Applications in Urban Sector
The applications of IRS satellites data products in urban sector are following: - (i) Mapping and Land Use
Land Cover classification; (ii) Urban sprawl analysis; (iii) Identification of illegal encroachment, and
constructions; (iv) Property tax assessment and estimations; (v) Transport and urban planning; (vi)
Mapping of utilities and services; (vii) Population estimation; (viii) Slum detection and monitoring; and (ix)
Site suitability analysis
Applications in Cartography
Mapping constitutes an integral component of the process of resource management and mapped
information is the common product of analysis of remotely sensed data from IRS series satellites. The
Cartosat series is especially oriented towards geo-engineering mapping and DTM (Digital Terrain
Modelling) or DEM (Digital Elevation Modelling). Natural as well as manmade features such as
transportation networks, settlements and administrative boundaries are represented spatially with respect
to geo-referenced data and integrated with attribute information or non-spatial in GIS (Geographical
Information System). Baseline, thematic and 2D and 3D topographical maps are essential for planning,
evaluation and monitoring, for civilian and military reconnaissance and land use planning.
Conclusion: Since inception the IRS satellite series is oriented towards societal benefits and its ultimate
objective is sustainable development of India. To address this goal it is applications driven and has greatly
diversified in applications, that too in a limited time period. The information derived from remotely sensed
data is an essential component of the National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS). The Indian
Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite program is to support national and sub national economies in the areas of
agriculture, soils, water resources (surface and ground), forestry and ecology, geology and mineral
resources, cartography, rural and urban development, marine fisheries, watersheds, coastal and disaster
management.
References
1. Bhatta , B. (2008) Remote Sensing and GIS, Oxford University Press, New Delhi.
2. Campbell J. B. (2007) Introduction to Remote Sensing, Guildford Press.
3. 3.Dadhwal, V.K. (2013) ‘25 Years of Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS) Series Satellite (IRS) Series’ paper
presented in the 50thSession of Scientific & Technical Subcommittee of COPUOS, 11-22 Feb., 2013, Vienna.
4. Jensen, J.R. (2003) Remote Sensing of the Environment – An Earth Resource Perspective, Pearson Education
Pvt.Ltd, Indian Branch, New Delhi.
5. Joseph, G. (1996) Retrospective and Prospective of Remote Sensing in India. Journal of Indian Society of
Remote Sensing, 24 (3), 133-143.
6. Joseph, G. 2005: Fundamentals of Remote Sensing, Universities Press, India.
7. Navalgund, R.R. (2006) Indian Earth Observation System: An Overview. Asian J. Geoinformatics, 6(1), 17-25.
8. Siddiqui, M.A. (2011) Concepts and Techniques of Geoinformatics, Sharda Pustak Bhawan, Allahabad, India.

Web References
9 www.isprs.org/proceedings/XXIX/congress/part6/278_XXIX-part6 (How to Promote Remote Sensing – Indian
Experience, by Prof. B.L.Deekshtulu).
10. www.isro.gov.in

820 IJRAR- International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews Research Paper