Remote Sensing Satellite
Remote Sensing(RS) technology is a based on satellites system. This technology began with the early use of Aerial Photography, then it’s shifted satellite system.
Remote sensing satellites are also called Earth observation satellites. They’re used for environmental monitoring (atmosphere, ocean, and land), meteorology, and cartography.
The first occurrence of remote sensing satellites on October 4, 1957, with the launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1. NASA launched the first American satellite, Explorer 1, on January 31, 1958.
How Remote Sensing Satellite work?
The Remote sensing by satellite will capture electromagnetic radiation on the microwave, ultraviolet, infrared, and visible wavelengths radiated, scattered, or reflected from the Earth.
There are two types of sensors working in RS System
Remote Sensing Satellite System
Characteristics of representative satellites:
| Satellites | Spatial resolution (meters) | Revisit time (days) | Spectral range (μm) number of bands | Number of bands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landsat | 15–120 | 16 | 0.45–12.5 | 11 |
| ASTER | 15–90 | 15 | 0.52–11.65 | 15 |
| SPOT | 10–20 | 26 | 0.45–1.75 | 5 |
| IKONOS | 1–4 | 1–4 | 0.45–0.90 | 5 |
| Quickbird | 0.61–0.72 | 1–6 | 0.45–0.9 | 4 |
| IRS | 5.8–70 | 5–24 | 0.52–1.7 | 4 |
| WorldView-2 | 0.46–2.4 | 1.1–3.7 | 0.4–1.05 | 8 |
| WorldView-3 | 0.31–30 | <1.0–4.5 | 0.40–23.6 | 26 |
| WorldView-4 | 0.31–1.24 | <1.0–4.5 | 0.65–0.92 | 4 |
| Sentinel-2 | 10–60 | 5 | 0.04–2.19 | 12 |
| GeoEye | 0.46–1.84 | 2.1–8.3 | 0.45–0.92 | 4 |
Primary Applications of representative satellites:
| Satellites/Sensor | Applications |
|---|---|
| Landsat | Global-change research, agriculture, cartography, geology, forestry, regional planning, surveillance, education |
| ASTER | Vegetation and ecosystem dynamics, land surface temperature, geology, hazard monitoring, land-cover change, land surface climatology, hydrology |
| SPOT | Exploring the Earth’s resources, detecting and forecasting phenomena involving climatology and oceanography, and monitoring human activities and natural phenomena |
| IKONOS | Urban geography, land-use, agriculture, and natural-disaster management |
| Quickbird | Map publishing, land and asset management, and risk assessment |
| IRS | Applications in forestry, agriculture, environment, soil characteristics, wasteland identification, flood and drought monitoring, ocean resource development, mineral exploration, land use and monitoring of underground and surface water resources. |
| WorldView | Mapping clouds, ice, snow and correcting for aerosol and water vapor |
| Sentinel-2 | Land and maritime monitoring, emergency management, and surveillance |