KALPANA 1

Launch data: Designation 27525 / 02043A Launch date 12 Sep 2002 - 10:23:40 UT Launch site Sriharikota Launch vehicle PSLV (#C4) Mission Meteorology Geostationary orbit on: Perigee / Apogee  35771 / 35801 km Eccentricity   Inclination  0.48° Period   min Location 74°E

Specifications: Prime contractor INSAT Platform   Mass at launch 1060 kg Dry mass 498 kg Dimension   Solar array   Stabilization   DC power 550 W Design lifetime 5 to 7 years

Description:

• METSAT, renamed as Kalpana-1 on February 5, 2003 after the Indian born American Astronaut Dr. Kalpana Chawla, who died on February 1, 2003 in the US Space Shuttle Columbia disaster (STS 107), and was the first Indian-born woman in space.
• It is the first in the series of exclusive meteorological satellites built by ISRO.
• To carry Hitherto, an Indian-made, 3-band Very High Resolution Radiometer (VHRR). The resolution is 8 km in the visible band and 8 km in the water vapour band.