Tata launches India’s first private earth observation satellite

India’s first private sector built earth observation satellite TSAT-1A , has been launched by Tata Advanced System Limited ,a subsidiary company of Tata Son’s. Till date only the government of India’s owned Indian Space Research Observation (ISRO) had the capability to build and launch such satellites.The satellite is considered to be a military grade.

According to Sukaran Singh, CEO and MD of TASL,their primary customers will be the government and the defence forces , but they will also target commercial customers.

From where was the satellite launched  

The TSAT-1A was launched on board the SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida,United States on 7 April 2024. A total of 11 satellites were launched by the SpaceX rocket. American billionaire Elon Musk owns the Space X company.

TSAT-1A satellite, a joint effort of TASL and Satellogic 

• The TSAT-1A satellite has been built by Tata Advanced Systems in collaboration with the Satellogic company of the United States of America.
• TSAT-1A has been assembled in TASL’s Assembly, Integration and Testing (“AIT”) plant at its Vemagal facility in Karnataka.
• An agreement was signed between TASL and Satellogic in November 2023 to develop an earth observation satellite. The Satellogic was to develop an advanced earth observation satellite, and the TASLs undertook the complex integration of the satellite system.

Feature of the TSAT-1A Satellite 

• The satellite weighs 50 kg and has been placed in a low earth orbit. The TSAT-1A satellite is a sub-meter resolution earth observation satellite. According to the company the satellite has  0.5-0.8-metre resolution, which can be enhanced to 0.5-0.6-metre super-resolution using the software.
• The satellite is basically a remote-sensing satellite. Remote sensing refers to the collection of data from a distance without coming into the touch of the object. Earth Observation satellites carry sensors designed to collect and record the reflected or emitted energy from the earth surface. These reflected energy are processed to create a digital image of the area in which the sensor has collected the energy.
• Sub-metre resolution means the image produced by the satellite sensor will be able to capture an area whose size is less than 1x1 meter. The TSAT-1A can capture images having an area of 0.5-0.6-metre x0.5-0.6-metre.
• The satellite is considered very useful for the military due to its capability to produce pictures of Earth in an area below a meter.

Tata Advanced System Limited 

Tata Advanced System Limited is a joint venture between Tata Sons and Boeing company, USA.

TASL is the Tata Group's strategic Aerospace and Defence wing.

Tata Advanced Systems Limited is one of the country’s leading private companies in the field of aerospace and defence solutions.

Headquarters: New Delhi 

Chairman : Banmali Agrawala