Bhaskara (satellites)

Bhaskara-I and II were two satellites built by the Indian Space Research Organisation that formed India's first low-Earth orbit Earth observation satellite. They collected data oceanography and hydrology. Both satellites are named after ancient Indian mathematicians Bhāskara I and Bhāskara II.

Bhaskara-I
Bhaskara-I, weighing 444 kg at launch, was launched on 7 June 1979 from Kapustin Yar aboard the Intercosmos launch vehicle. It was placed in an orbital Perigee and Apogee of 394 km and 399 km at an inclination of 50.7°. The satellite consisted of-


 * Two television cameras operating in visible (600 nanometre) and near-infrared (800 nanometre) and collected data related to hydrology, forestry and geology.
 * Satellite microwave radiometer (SAMIR) operating at 19 and 22 GHz for study of ocean-state, water vapour, liquid water content in the atmosphere, etc.
 * An X-ray sky monitor operating in 2-10 keV energy range, to detect transient X-ray sources and monitor long term spectral and intensity changes in the X-ray sources.

Bhaskara-II
The satellite provided ocean and land surface data. It orbited at 541 × 557 km with an inclination of 50.7°. One of two onboard cameras malfunctioned, however it sent back more than two thousand images. Housekeeping telemetry was received until re-entry in 1991.