Introduction
In today's world, satellites are playing an essential role in gathering information about various things on Earth. Thanks to technological advancements, we're now able to obtain satellite imagery that can aid scientists, researchers, the military, and businesses in various fields. As technology advances, so do the capabilities of satellites. RESOURCESAT-2 and Cartosat-3 are two such satellites that provide high-resolution images of the Earth. In this blog post, we will compare the imaging capabilities of both these satellites.
RESOURCESAT-2
RESOURCESAT-2 is an Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS) that was launched on April 20, 2011. It's a civilian remote sensing satellite that provides high-resolution images of natural resources such as water, land, and vegetation. The satellite can capture images of the Earth with a spatial resolution of 5.8 meters and operates in three spectral bands: red, green, and near-infrared.
Cartosat-3
Cartosat-3 is also an Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS) that was launched on November 27, 2019. It's a civilian remote sensing satellite that provides high-resolution images of the Earth's surface features. The satellite can capture images of the Earth with a spatial resolution of 25 centimeters and operates in four spectral bands: panchromatic, blue, green, and red.
Comparison
While both these satellites provide high-resolution images of the Earth's surface, there are some key differences between them.
Spatial resolution
RESOURCESAT-2 has a spatial resolution of 5.8 meters, which means that it can distinguish between objects that are at least 5.8 meters apart from each other. Cartosat-3, on the other hand, has a spatial resolution of 25 centimeters, which means that it can distinguish between objects that are at least 25 centimeters apart from each other. Thus, Cartosat-3 can provide images with greater detail as compared to RESOURCESAT-2.
Spectral bands
RESOURCESAT-2 operates in three spectral bands: red, green, and near-infrared, while Cartosat-3 operates in four spectral bands: panchromatic, blue, green, and red. The additional spectral band in Cartosat-3 allows it to gather more information about the Earth's surface features compared to RESOURCESAT-2, thereby giving it an edge in terms of imaging capabilities.
Coverage area
RESOURCESAT-2 has a swath width of 24.6 km, while Cartosat-3 has a swath width of 16 km. This means that RESOURCESAT-2 can cover a larger area of the Earth's surface in a single pass as compared to Cartosat-3. However, Cartosat-3's higher spatial resolution makes up for the smaller coverage area.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both RESOURCESAT-2 and Cartosat-3 are important satellites that provide high-resolution images of the Earth's surface. While RESOURCESAT-2 has a larger coverage area, Cartosat-3 has a higher spatial resolution and an additional spectral band, giving it an edge in terms of imaging capabilities. Depending on the requirements of the user, either of these satellites can be used to obtain high-quality images of the Earth.