NEWS: The Indo-French TRISHNA mission aims to monitor Earth’s surface temperature, water stress and vegetation using high-resolution thermal infrared observations.

ABOUT

• Full form: Thermal Infra-Red Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural Resource Assessment.
• Agencies: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) + France’s National Centre for Space Studies (CNES).
• Launch vehicle: Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
• Orbit: Sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 761 km.
• Operational life: 5 years.

MAJOR OBJECTIVES

• Water and Energy Budgets: Assess terrestrial water stress, water use and energy exchange.
• Water Bodies: Monitor water quality and dynamics in inland and coastal waters.
• Urban Heat Islands: Identify urban thermal patterns and heat anomalies.
• Snow and Glaciers: Monitor glacier dynamics and snowmelt runoff.
• Atmosphere: Provide information on atmospheric water vapour, aerosols and cloud cover.

TWO PRIMARY PAYLOADS

• Thermal Infrared (TIR) Payload — CNES: Four-channel long-wave infrared sensor to map surface temperature and emissivity.
• Visible–Near Infrared–Short Wave Infrared (VNIR–SWIR) Payload — ISRO: Seven spectral bands to map surface reflectance and derive biophysical parameters.

KEY SPECIFICATIONS

• Spatial resolution:

→ Land and coastal areas: 57 metres.

→ Oceanic and polar regions: 1 kilometre.

• Applications: Agriculture, drought monitoring, water-resource management, climate research and geothermal studies.

GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE

• GEOGLAM: Supports agricultural monitoring.
• Global Water Watch: Provides information relevant to water stress and water resources.
• United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Supports progress monitoring through Earth-observation data.
• Essential Variables: Contributes to Essential Agricultural Variables (EAVs) and Essential Climate Variables (ECVs).