Hyderabad: The first pictures from Cartosat-2 would be received on Friday by the National Remote Sensing Agency's (NRSA) Earth Station at Shadnagar, about 55 km from here.

According to official sources, the camera on board the satellite would be switched on around 10 a.m., following which the initial pictures would be received. The sources said all the satellite and ground systems would be tested during the initial phase of operation for about a month when the camera would be switched on during one or two passes every day. The systems would be stabilised once the testing was completed.

Viewing tiny objects

The images received from the satellite would be processed and their quality tested at the NRSA. While the previous Cartosat, with a spatial resolution of 2.5 metres, had two cameras looking at different angles to get height information (stereo viewing), the present satellite, with less than one metre resolution, would enable viewing of even tinier objects. For instance, one can look at roads and houses here.

The data generated from Cartosat-2, of the class of IKONOS and Orb View satellites, would be a "big boon" to many user agencies, particularly those involved in infrastructure development, urban and rural planning. The sources said Cartosat-2 data would be less expensive when compared to similar images received from international satellites. However, the pricing was not yet decided.

The NRSA Earth Station, equipped with three terminals, is currently receiving images from eight satellites, including foreign ones, and has the capability to receive more.

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