What does the new RISAT-1A 8-beam MRS mode hold for the applications community?

India’s SAR satellite RISAT-1A to be launched later in the year has some improvements over its predecessor like full polarimetric mode, a wider swath in the 8-beam Medium Resolution ScanSAR (MRS) systematic coverage. The 8beam MRS poses significant advantages for applications in wider swath, improved revisit times and scope for large area inventories. This article highlights the new MRS beam in light of the application potentials