INDIA launched one of the world鈥檚 most sophisticated remote-sensing satellites last month. IRS-IC was built in India and launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The Indian Space Research Organisation says that the camera on the IRS-1C has the highest resolution of any satellite camera. It is India鈥檚 fourth remote-sensing satellite and will enable it to compete with countries such as China, Japan, the US and Russia for a slice of the $3-billion market for remote-sensing data. India already has a contract with the American company EOSAT to market the data.
India also uses the satellite data at home to help map its ever-changing towns and cities, provide disaster warnings and monitor the environment. Information from the satellite will help plan disaster relief, after floods, for example.
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