The Megha-Tropiques satellite, put in orbit by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C18) on October 12, is in good health and its four scientific instruments have been energised.
The satellite is a joint contribution from India and France to the global scientific community engaged in research on climate and weather systems that affect the daily life of humanity the world over and particularly in the tropical region, a press release from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Friday.
Three co-passenger satellites, the SRMSat from the SRM University, near Chennai, the Jugnu from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and the Vesselsat-1 from Luxembourg were put in orbit by the PSLV-C18. The user-institutions have confirmed establishing contact with their satellites.
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“It has been confirmed that the satellite [Megha-Tropiques] has been placed precisely in its intended circular orbit,” the release added. While perigee in the targeted orbit was 865 km above the earth and the apogee 867 km, the perigee achieved was 864 km and the apogee 865 km. The inclination achieved was 19.99 degrees to the equator against the targeted inclination was 20 degrees.