TRISHNA Satellite: Key Facts
- Full form: Thermal Infra-Red Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural Resource Assessment.
- Nature: A joint Earth-observation mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and France's National Centre for Space Studies (CNES).
- Status: The mission has entered an advanced stage of development; ISRO expects launch within the next 12–16 months.
- Launch Vehicle: India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
- Purpose: High-resolution monitoring of Earth's surface temperature, water resources and ecosystem dynamics.
Objectives
- Provide high spatial and temporal resolution data on:
- Land surface temperature and emissivity
- Biophysical variables
- Radiation fluxes
- Support surface energy-budget assessment and sustainable natural resource management.
Payload Configuration
| Payload | Developed by | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Thermal Infra-Red (TIR) | CNES, France | Measures Earth's surface thermal emissions |
| Visible-Near Infra-Red and Short-Wave Infra-Red (VNIR-SWIR) | ISRO | Observes surface characteristics and vegetation conditions |
- ISRO is responsible for the satellite bus and the VNIR-SWIR payload.
- Scientific data will be processed jointly by India and France.
Applications
- Agriculture and water: Monitoring agricultural water use, irrigation efficiency, crop water stress and evapotranspiration.
- Disaster and climate: Drought condition monitoring, climate studies and water-resource planning.
- Urban studies: Mapping of urban heat islands.
- Ecology: Assessment of ecosystem health and vegetation dynamics.
Background: India-France Space Cooperation
- TRISHNA is the third joint India-France satellite mission, following:
- Megha-Tropiques (2011) – studied the tropical atmosphere and the tropical water cycle.
- SARAL (2013) – Satellite with ARgos and ALtiKa; focused on satellite altimetry and data collection.
- India and France have a long-standing strategic partnership covering space, defence, nuclear and maritime domains.
Significance
- Strengthens the India-France Strategic Partnership and space diplomacy.
- Enhances India's capacity in thermal remote sensing, a domain where high-resolution data is scarce globally.
- Supports national priorities such as water security, agricultural resilience, climate adaptation and sustainable urban planning.
- Complements existing missions like NISAR (ISRO-NASA) in broadening India's Earth-observation constellation.
Way Forward
- Timely launch and calibration of TIR sensors will be critical for delivering usable operational products.
- Data products should be integrated with national programmes on irrigation, drought management and urban heat mitigation for maximum policy impact.