ISRO’s EOS-08 Satellite Captures Thermal Images of Pune: Details
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recently announced the start of operations for its Electro Optical-Infrared (EOIR) payload placed inside the EOS-08 Earth Observation Satellite. The satellite was launched on the space agency’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) on August 16. The main goal of this mission is to improve India’s thermal imaging capabilities. Said to be state-of-the-art, the EOIR payload is developed by ISRO’s Space Applications Centre (SAC), is equipped with mid-wave infrared (MIR) and long-wave infrared (LWIR) channels, offering high-resolution imaging capabilities.
First Thermal Images Captured
On August 19, the EOIR payload took its first thermal image over Pune, showcasing the accuracy of the MIR channel, confirmed the Indian space agency. Just two days later, on August 21, it captured images of the Namibia Desert, using the LWIR channel to display detailed thermal data.
EOIR Image Over Pune City
Photo Credit: ISRO
These images demonstrate the payload’s capacity to capture temperature variations with spatial accuracy down to eight metres, significantly enhancing thermal mapping. These technologies are set to play a crucial role in various sectors, including agriculture, wildfire management, and urban planning.
Comparison with Landsat-09
To validate the EOIR payload’s performance, its data was compared to that of the Landsat-09 satellite’s Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS). The comparison over Santiago, Chile, confirmed the superior resolution of Isro’s technology, enabling more precise and detailed thermal measurements.
Applications Across Fields
In agriculture, the EOIR payload’s data can improve water use and crop yields by mapping soil moisture and monitoring vegetation health. Its ability to detect heat emissions makes it an effective tool for wildfire detection and management. Urban planners can also benefit, using the high-resolution data to identify Urban Heat Islands (UHI) and design sustainable cities.
Ongoing Validation
The EOIR data is being processed at the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC-ISRO), using algorithms created by SAC-ISRO. This will help provide actionable insights, solidifying the payload’s role in environmental monitoring and addressing climate challenges.
Helium-3, a rare isotope formed during the early solar system, may be locked within Earth’s solid core, as indicated by recent research. This discovery could provide insights into how quickly the planet was formed. Unlike helium-4, which is commonly produced through radioactive decay, helium-3 originates from the primordial gas cloud that shaped the solar system. While traces of this isotope have been detected in volcanic hotspots and mid-ocean ridges, the mechanism behind its retention for billions of years remains uncertain. Given helium’s volatile nature, most of it was expected to escape Earth’s mantle due to tectonic activity or the giant impact that led to the formation of the Moon.
Helium and Iron Interaction at Core Conditions
According to the study published in Physical Review Letters, researchers at the University of Tokyo led by Kei Hirose examined whether helium could mix with iron under conditions mimicking Earth’s core. Using a diamond-tipped anvil, the team subjected iron and helium to extreme pressures ranging from 50,000 to 550,000 times the atmospheric pressure at Earth’s surface. As per reports, the samples were heated to temperatures between 727 and 2,727 degrees Celsius before being depressurised and analysed at cryogenic temperatures to prevent helium escape. Findings indicated that solid iron could incorporate up to 3.3 percent helium, suggesting the isotope may remain trapped in the core over long periods.
Potential Impact on Earth’s Formation Timeline
Peter Olson, a geophysicist at the University of New Mexico, told that these results confirm helium’s compatibility with Earth’s solid core. However, he noted that only 4 percent of the core is solid, with the majority existing in a liquid state. Further research is needed to determine whether helium-3 could be similarly retained in the liquid portion. Olson also highlighted the significance of this discovery in dating Earth’s formation. If helium-3 was incorporated into the core, it suggests the planet formed rapidly within a few million years. A slower formation process spanning 100 million years would likely have resulted in minimal helium retention.
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The scheduled test flight of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 8, which was expected to take off from the company’s Starbase facility in Texas on March 3, has been postponed due to last-minute technical issues. The launch was planned within a window starting at 6:30 p.m. ET with a mission to test various aspects of the rocket’s performance, including booster recovery and satellite deployment. SpaceX has not yet announced a new launch date, but updates are expected soon. The flight was set to be the eighth major test for Starship, which is designed to be the most powerful rocket ever built.
Starship’s Mission and Test Objectives
As per reports, the flight plan, Starship was expected to launch atop its Super Heavy booster, which was intended to return to the launch pad and be caught by the “chopstick” arms of the tower. The upper stage of the rocket was set to release four mock versions of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites on a suborbital trajectory before splashing down in the Indian Ocean approximately 66 minutes after liftoff. A similar test conducted on January 16 with Flight 7 saw the successful recovery of the booster, but the upper stage failed due to a propellant leak, leading to an explosion before it could complete its mission.
NASA’s Interest and Future Developments
NASA has selected Starship as the lunar lander for the Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon in the coming years. The vehicle is also being developed for deep-space missions, including potential crewed journeys to Mars. Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, has indicated that future iterations of Starship may be even larger than the current model, which stands at 123 metres. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to grant approval for up to 25 Starship launches in 2025, marking a significant step toward the rocket’s operational use.
For details of the latest launches and news from Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus, Oppo and other companies at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, visit our MWC 2025 hub.
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