Earth Observation Satellites

Earth observation satellites are satellites equipped with remote sensing technology.
Earth observation is the gathering of information about Earth’s physical, chemical and biological systems.
Many earth observation satellites have been employed on sun-synchronous orbit.
The first EOS or remote sensing satellite was Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite sent to Earth’s orbit by the Soviet Union in 1957.
- It was used to study the topmost layer of Earth’s atmosphere, the ionosphere.
Most EOS operate at about 500 to 600 kilometres from the surface of the Earth.

Applications of Earth Observation satellites

These satellites can be used for various purposes, including environmental monitoring, cartography, navigation and more.
The military of different countries also uses the Earth observation satellite for spying and communication.
The most common example of applications of EOS is the images of Earth, or the view available in a popular Earth discovery application called Google Earth.

20 April 2023:
- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch Singapore’s TeLEOS-2 satellite, an earth observation satellite.
- The launch will be carried out by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).