A rendering of the TRISHNA satellite. Photo:

Airbus Defence and Space will develop and manufacture the thermal infrared instrument for the TRISHNA climate monitoring satellite for the French Space Agency (CNES), the organizations announced Monday. 

TRISHNA, (Thermal Infrared Imaging Satellite for High Resolution Natural Resource Assessment), will be the latest satellite in a joint Franco-Indian satellite fleet dedicated to climate monitoring and operational applications. CNES and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are working together to develop an infrared observation system with high thermal resolution and high revisit capability including a satellite and associated ground segment.

TRISHNA will observe the water cycle. According to Airbus, TRISHNA will image the Earth every three days, at 50 m resolution, observing a temperature range from approximately -20 to +30°C. Airbus plans to use innovations from other programs like IASI-NG to offer affordable high performance instrument with the aim of encouraging development of a commercial market.

Airbus Head of Space Systems Jean-Marc Nasr said, “Thanks to ambitious science missions like TRISHNA, our industry has reached a technological maturity that opens up a new era of commercial observation of the Earth and all related applications. France’s world-leading expertise in the Earth observation export market, combined with the unmatched efficiency and ambition of the Indian Space industry is going to bring thermal infrared imagery to a new level. This will enable breakthrough applications in agriculture, urban and coastal zone management, meteorology, climate science, and many commercial applications.”