Remote Sensing Satellites

Satellites play an important role in remote sensing. This chapter discusses various topics related to remote sensing satellites including their principle of operation, their orbits, payloads on board and their use to acquire images, processing and analysis of these images using various digital imaging techniques and interpreting these images for studying different features of Earth for varied applications. It gives a descriptive view of these above‐mentioned topics with relevant illustrations wherever needed. Passive sensors record the amount of electromagnetic radiation reflected and/or emitted from the Earth's surface, and do not emit any electromagnetic radiation. In active sensor systems, the transmitter emits electromagnetic radiation of a particular wavelength band, depending upon the intended application. Three major remote sensing satellite missions namely, the Landsat, SPOT and Radarsat satellite systems, are also described in the chapter.