Indian resident stand near debris on a street in Chennai after Cyclone Vardah. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)
Indian resident stand near debris on a street in Chennai after Cyclone Vardah. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)  
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Here’s How Two ISRO Satellites Saved 10,000 Lives During Cyclone Vardah

BySwarajya Staff

Data provided by two satellites - Insat-3DR and SCATSAT-1- helped the Indian Space Research Organisation save as many as 10,000 lives in Tamil Nadu and the adjoining states when Cyclone Vardah unleashed its fury.

Insat-3DR is a meteorological (weather) satellite launched on 8 September using the three-stage Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). It is equipped with 6-channel imager and a 19-channel sounder, as well as search and rescue information and message relay. SCATSAT-1, launched on 26 September using the four-stage Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), provides weather forecasting, cyclone prediction, and tracking services.

Here is how it worked:

  1. Insat 3DR and SCATSAT-1 provided important data and imagery and helped in studying the nature of this cyclone.
  2. Using the data and imagery, the concerned agencies prepared a forecast and predicted the movement pattern of the cyclone, wind speed, etc.
  3. This forecast, in turn, was used by National Disaster Response Force to plan and conduct rescue operations.