In a first, Taiwan researchers become part of satellite launch mission by ISRO

ISRO’s launch of EOS-04 satellite on Monday saw the participation of scientists from Taiwan, the US, and Singapore.

New Delhi: In a first, India's space research organization or ISRO on Monday launched a satellite jointly developed by a team of international researchers including from Taiwan. INSPIRESat-1 satellite has been developed by scientists from universities of the US, Taiwan, India, and Singapore.

The universities are--University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Taiwan's National Central University (NCU), and Singapore' Nanyang Technological University. INSPIRESat-1 stands for International Research and Teaching Satellite Project satellite one.

ISRO in a statement said Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C52 "placed two small satellites a student satellite (INSPIREsat-1) from Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology (IIST) in association with Laboratory of Atmospheric & Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder and a technology demonstrator satellite (INS-2TD) from ISRO, which is a precursor to India-Bhutan Joint Satellite (INS-2B). Co-passenger satellites were successfully separated from the PSLV in a predetermined sequence."

The satellite will provide information on Sun's corona and its impact on Earth's ionosphere. All in all Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C52 mission launched an Earth observation satellite and 2 other satellites. PSLV lifted off at 05:59 hours IST from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, and injected Earth Observation Satellite EOS-04 which will provide high-quality images under all weather conditions for applications such as Agriculture, Forestry & Plantations, Soil Moisture & Hydrology, and Flood mapping.

India has emerged as a major global center for the low-cost launch of satellites. Indian prime minister congratulated on the development. In a tweet, he said, “Congratulations to our space scientists on the successful launch of the PSLV C52 mission. EOS-04 satellite will provide high-resolution images under all weather conditions.”

Congratulations to our space scientists on the successful launch of PSLV C52 mission. EOS-04 satellite will provide high resolution images under all weather conditions for agriculture, forestry and plantations, soil moisture and hydrology as well as flood mapping.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 14, 2022

Interestingly, the development comes on a day when it emerged that India has banned several Chinese apps. The app ban has been part of growing scrutiny on China-backed technology over fears of they being used to snoop in. In the aftermath of the 2020 Galwan incident in which India lost 20 of its soldiers due to aggressive Chinese actions, India had announced similar app bans.