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TAPAS-1 Thermal-Imaging CubeSat Payload Deployed by SpaceX Falcon 9
India’s first dedicated commercial CubeSat-category thermal payload, TAPAS-1, has been successfully deployed in orbit by SpaceX’s Falcon 9. TAPAS-1 is developed by Ahmedabad-based space technology startup Satleo Labs as a private thermal-imaging payload for capturing Earth surface heat changes.
TAPAS-1 Payload:
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Full Form | TAPAS comprises Thermal Access Platform for Analytics & Solutions. |
| Type | TAPAS-1 comprises India’s first commercial private thermal-imaging payload. |
| Function | TAPAS-1 is designed to capture changes in the heat emitted from the Earth’s surface in the form of images. |
| Sensor Technology | TAPAS-1 uses long-wave infrared (LWIR) sensing to capture temperature information that is not visible in conventional optical imagery. |
| Orbit Altitude | TAPAS-1 is injected into an orbit 500 km high. |
| Imaging Output | From a 500 km orbit, the satellite captures high-resolution images of heat and temperature variations at locations across the planet. |
| CubeSat Definition | CubeSat-category payloads comprise a class of cubical nanosatellites that typically measure 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm. |
| Weight | TAPAS-1 weighs 1.5 kg. |
| Applications of Data | TAPAS-1 data applies to agriculture and water stress monitoring, disaster detection and monitoring including forest fires, and urban planning for tracking city temperature variations in real time to address heat stress. |