India launched the MEGHA-TROPIQUES satellite aboard its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C18) on October 12, 2011, to study the water cycle and energy exchanges in the tropical region covering 20 degrees on either side of the Equator.
The satellite, a joint venture between Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and French National Space Agency (CNES) is carrying four science instruments — a scanning microwave imager to measure precipitation and cloud properties, a scanner to measure earth radiation budget, a sounder for atmospheric profiling of humidity in the inter-tropical region and a GPS radio occultation sensor.
The instruments will start working in about three weeks to relay data to scientific teams in India, France, Australia, Brazil, Italy, Japan, Korea, Niger, Sweden, UK and USA. The global scientific community engaged in research on climate and weather systems affecting people, particularly in the tropical region, are expected to benefit from this data.
ISRO sources said MEGHA-TROPIQUES is the second mission of this kind globally after the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) launched in 1997 by USA and Japan.
The PSLV-C18 is also carrying three co-passenger satellites — JUGNU from IIT, Kanpur; SRMSat from SRM University, Chennai; and VesselSat-1 from Luxembourg.
