Indo-French TRISHNA Satellite Nears Launch Window

The new Indo-French Earth observation satellite TRISHNA will launch within the next 12 to 16 months. Jasvinder Singh Khoral, Director of Projects at the U.R. Rao Satellite Centre, shared this timeline at the TRISHNA Water for Tomorrow workshop in Bengaluru. This project marks the third joint space venture between India and France, following earlier collaborations on the Megha-Tropiques and SARAL missions.

Division of Work

The mission is a joint effort between the Indian Space Research Organisation and the French space agency CNES, and a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle will carry it into space. The U.R. Rao Satellite Centre is building the satellite bus and one set of instruments, while the French agency is providing the other payload instruments. Both countries will also share the responsibility of processing the collected data jointly.

Mission Goals

Project Director Nagalakshmi A.M. stated that the main aim of the mission is to improve water resource management through detailed monitoring of the planet's surface. The satellite carries two main instruments: a thermal monitoring payload built by France, and an optical imaging payload built by India. Officials confirmed that the mission will follow an open data policy, sharing scientific information with users around the world without restrictions.

Context

Joint satellite missions between India and France have a long history of helping scientists track environmental shifts and manage natural resources more effectively. Projects of this scale typically combine the technological strengths of both space agencies to monitor complex planetary processes. Open data policies on such missions allow researchers globally to access valuable climate and water resources information.