16 May

DEFENCE & STRATEGIC SATELLITES

Satellite	Main Feature
GSAT-7	Naval communication
GSAT-7A	Air Force communication
RISAT	Radar surveillance
EMISAT	Electronic intelligence
CARTOSAT	High-resolution imaging
Microsat-R	Strategic imaging

WEATHER & CLIMATE SATELLITES

Satellite	Main Use
Kalpana-1	Meteorology
INSAT-3D	Weather forecasting
INSAT-3DR	Atmospheric studies
SCATSAT-1	Wind monitoring
Oceansat	Ocean studies

NAVIGATION SATELLITES

Satellite/System	Feature
NavIC	Regional navigation system
IRNSS	Indigenous navigation constellation

SCIENTIFIC & SPACE EXPLORATION MISSIONS

Mission	Importance
Chandrayaan-1	Water on Moon
Chandrayaan-3	South Pole landing
Mangalyaan	Mars orbit success
Aditya-L1	Solar mission
Astrosat	Space observatory
XPoSat	X-ray astronomy

IMPORTANT UPSC FACTS

Topic	Fact
First Indian Satellite	Aryabhata
First Moon Mission	Chandrayaan-1
First Mars Mission	Mangalyaan
India’s Navigation System	NavIC
First Solar Mission	Aditya-L1
First Dedicated Education Satellite	EDUSAT
First Dedicated Space Observatory	Astrosat
First Lunar South Pole Landing	Chandrayaan-3

CONSOLIDATED TABLE OF IMPORTANT INDIAN SATELLITES & MISSIONS

Satellite/Mission	Year	Category	Status	Major Features / Achievements
Aryabhata	1975	Scientific	Successful	First Indian satellite
Bhaskara-I	1979	Earth Observation	Successful	Hydrology and meteorology studies
Bhaskara-II	1981	Earth Observation	Successful	Remote sensing applications
INSAT Series	1983 onwards	Communication	Successful	Telecom, TV broadcasting, weather
IRS Series	1988 onwards	Remote Sensing	Successful	Agriculture, forestry, disaster management
EDUSAT (GSAT-3)	2004	Education	Successful	First dedicated education satellite
Cartosat Series	2005 onwards	Cartography	Successful	High-resolution Earth imaging
Oceansat Series	1999 onwards	Ocean Studies	Successful	Fishery and ocean monitoring
RISAT Series	2009 onwards	Radar Imaging	Successful	All-weather surveillance capability
GSAT Series	2001 onwards	Communication	Mostly Successful	Broadband, TV, strategic communication
GSAT-6A	2018	Communication	Failed Contact	Communication lost after launch
GSAT-7 (Rukmini)	2013	Defence	Successful	Naval communication satellite
GSAT-7A	2018	Defence	Successful	Air Force communication
Kalpana-1	2002	Meteorology	Successful	First dedicated weather satellite
INSAT-3D	2013	Meteorology	Successful	Advanced weather monitoring
INSAT-3DR	2016	Meteorology	Successful	Atmospheric sounding and rescue support
SCATSAT-1	2016	Weather/Ocean	Successful	Wind speed and cyclone monitoring
NavIC / IRNSS	2013 onwards	Navigation	Successful	India’s regional GPS system
South Asia Satellite (GSAT-9)	2017	Communication	Successful	Space diplomacy initiative
HySIS	2018	Hyperspectral Imaging	Successful	Advanced Earth observation
EMISAT	2019	Defence	Successful	Electronic intelligence gathering
Microsat-R	2019	Defence	Successful	Strategic imaging satellite
Chandrayaan-1	2008	Lunar Mission	Successful	Discovered water molecules on Moon
Chandrayaan-2	2019	Lunar Mission	Partially Successful	Orbiter successful; Vikram lander crash
Chandrayaan-3	2023	Lunar Mission	Successful	First landing near lunar south pole
Mangalyaan (MOM)	2013	Mars Mission	Successful	First Mars mission in first attempt
Astrosat	2015	Astronomy	Successful	First dedicated Indian space observatory
Aditya-L1	2023	Solar Mission	Successful/Ongoing	Study of Sun from L1 point
XPoSat	2024	Astronomy	Successful	X-ray polarimetry mission
NISAR	Upcoming	Earth Observation	Upcoming	NASA-ISRO radar satellite
SPADEX	Upcoming	Space Technology	Upcoming	Indigenous docking technology

Types of Satellites

1. Communication Satellites

Purpose

Used for:

television broadcasting,
internet,
telephone,
mobile communication,
broadband services.

Indian Examples

INSAT Series
GSAT Series
GSAT-7
GSAT-7A

2. Remote Sensing / Earth Observation Satellites

Purpose

Used for observing Earth’s surface.

Applications

agriculture,
forestry,
urban planning,
disaster management,
mineral mapping.

Indian Examples

IRS Series
Cartosat
Resourcesat
Oceansat
HySIS

3. Navigation Satellites

Purpose

Provide:

location,
navigation,
timing services.

Indian Example

NavIC / IRNSS

Global Examples

GPS (USA)
GLONASS (Russia)
Galileo (Europe)
BeiDou (China)

4. Meteorological / Weather Satellites

Purpose

Used for:

weather forecasting,
cyclone tracking,
cloud monitoring,
climate studies.

Indian Examples

Kalpana-1
INSAT-3D
INSAT-3DR
SCATSAT-1

5. Scientific / Astronomy Satellites

Purpose

Used for:

space research,
astronomy,
black hole studies,
solar studies,
cosmic radiation analysis.

Indian Examples

Astrosat
Aditya-L1
XPoSat

6. Defence / Military Satellites

Purpose

Used for:

surveillance,
military communication,
intelligence gathering,
border monitoring.

Indian Examples

RISAT
GSAT-7
GSAT-7A
EMISAT
Microsat-R

7. Reconnaissance Satellites

Purpose

Spy satellites used for:

imaging,
enemy movement monitoring,
strategic intelligence.

Features

high-resolution imaging,
night surveillance,
radar imaging.

Indian Examples

Cartosat
RISAT

8. Navigation & Positioning Satellites

Purpose

Provide:

positioning,
route guidance,
timing synchronization.

Indian Example

NavIC

9. Space Exploration Satellites / Probes

Purpose

Used for:

Moon,
Mars,
Sun,
planetary exploration.

Indian Examples

Chandrayaan Missions
Mangalyaan
Aditya-L1

10. Geostationary Satellites

Orbit Type

Remain fixed relative to Earth.

Uses

communication,
weather forecasting,
TV broadcasting.

Orbit Height

Approximately:35,786 km35,786\ \text{km}35,786 km

11. Polar Satellites

Orbit

Move pole-to-pole.

Uses

Earth observation,
mapping,
environmental studies.

Indian Launcher

PSLV mainly launches polar satellites.

12. Sun-Synchronous Satellites

Features

Pass over same place at same local solar time.

Uses

imaging consistency,
remote sensing.

Indian Examples

Cartosat
Resourcesat

13. Radar Imaging Satellites

Features

Can capture images:

at night,
through clouds,
during bad weather.

Indian Example

RISAT

14. Hyperspectral Satellites

Purpose

Capture detailed spectral data.

Uses

mineral exploration,
agriculture,
environment monitoring.

Indian Example

HySIS

15. Experimental Satellites

Purpose

Technology demonstration.

Indian Examples

Aryabhata
APPLE
SPADEX

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