Snow, Solitude & Space Research: ISRO to Set Up Its First Overseas Base at North Pole!

ISRO's ambitious plan will take some time, as it involves huge logistical challenges.

By Rayomand Engineer

September 4, 2018

ISROs prestigious and indigenous Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) Satellite Program includes its constellation of earth observation satellites which provide data, and the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad is the nodal agency responsible for overseeing this program.

The NRSC’s responsibilities include data acquisition and processing, aerial remote sensing, data dissemination and decision support for disaster management.

There are 11 operational satellites, all in polar sun-synchronous orbit, and they happen to be the largest constellation of remote sensing satellites being deployed for civilian use in the world today.

To augment the operations of the IRS, ISRO has decided to set up its first overseas ground station in the North Pole, reports the Times of India

According to an ISRO scientist quoted in the publication, the advancements in high-resolution satellite programmes of IRS and the complexity and role of ground stations have significantly increased.

“High-resolution satellites need frequent visibilities with larger processing power, data storage capacity onboard, data downlink of stored images to ground stations, for meeting the global and Indian user requirements,” he added.

ISRO already has two ground stations—IMGEOS at Shadnagar and AGEOS in Antarctica. However, to meet its objective of achieving 14-orbit coverage, the upcoming North Pole ground station is of prime importance.

Why is the North Pole station crucial?

“…Because this will provide an opportunity to download the complete data within the same orbit and enable the usage of onboard resources in every orbit and transfer the raw data in near real-time to Shadnagar,” explained the ISRO scientist.

Rounding off, the scientist said that while ISRO is serious about setting up the station, the plan will take some time to materialise as it involves enormous logistical challenges, international approvals and cooperation.

Additionally, any hardware installation is a complex task and given the North Pole’s unforgiving weather conditions, which are even tougher to deal with than the weather conditions at the South Pole, this task will undoubtedly be quite a challenge!

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: [email protected], or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Similar Story

Want to Play a Role in Shaping India’s Climate Laws & Policies? Here’s a One-Stop Guide

Civis, a platform that enables citizens to participate in public consultations in the domain of environment and policy has released Climate Voices. This is a handbook and guide for Indians to participate in environmental law-making and play an active role in shaping our climate policies.

If you found our stories insightful, informative, or even just enjoyable, we invite you to consider making a voluntary payment to support the work we do at The Better India. Your contribution helps us continue producing quality content that educates, inspires, and drives positive change.

Choose one of the payment options below for your contribution-

₹201 ₹501 ₹1001

By paying for the stories you value, you directly contribute to sustaining our efforts focused on making a difference in the world. Together, let's ensure that impactful stories continue to be told and shared, enriching lives and communities alike.

Thank you for your support. Here are some frequently asked questions you might find helpful to know why you are contributing?