INSAT 1A

Description

The INSAT-1 satellite program incorporated two three-axis stabilized spacecraft in geostationary orbit (INSAT-1A at 74 degrees E and INSAT-1B at 94 degrees E) with a host of ground stations throughout India. The INSAT-1A satellite, built by the Ford Aerospace and Communications Corporation, was designed to provide combined telecommunications, direct TV broadcast, and meteorological service to India's civilian community over a 7-year-in-orbit lifespan. The telecommunications package provided two-way, long distance telephone circuits and direct radio and TV broadcasting to the remotest areas of India. The meteorology package was composed of a scanning very-high-resolution, two-channel radiometer (VHRR) to provide full-frame, full-earth coverage every 30 minutes. The visual channel (0.55-0.75 micrometer) had a 2.75-km resolution while the IR channel (10.5-12.5 micrometers) had an 11-km resolution. Using the Insat TV capability, early warnings of impending disasters (i.e., floods, storms, etc.) could directly reach the civilian population, even in remote areas. The INSAT-1A also had a data channel for relaying meteorological, hydrological, and oceanographic data from unattended land-based or ocean-based data collection and transmission platforms.