TRISHNA: Indo-French thermal satellite to launch in 12-16 months
Why in the news
ISRO’s U.R. Rao Satellite Centre said in October 2026 that TRISHNA, the joint India-France thermal imaging satellite, is nearly ready and is expected to launch within 12 to 16 months.
Key facts
- Full name: Thermal Infra-Red Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural Resource Assessment.
- Partners: ISRO and CNES (French space agency).
- Purpose: monitor land surface temperature, water stress and water use, aiding water resource management; data to be shared openly worldwide.
- Orbit: Sun-synchronous at 761 km, designed for a five-year life.
Payloads
| Payload | Provider | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Thermal Infra-Red (TIR) | CNES | Four-channel imager for surface temperature and emissivity |
| VNIR-SWIR | ISRO | Seven bands for surface reflectance |
About the mission
TRISHNA was announced during India-France talks in July 2023. It offers about 57 m resolution over land and coastal areas, aiming to measure temperature at high resolution with frequent revisits. Uses include irrigation advisories, drought and evapotranspiration tracking, urban heat island maps, water quality checks and glacier and snow-melt studies. It is the next ISRO-CNES satellite after Megha-Tropiques and SARAL.
Exam angle
- TRISHNA = ISRO + CNES; thermal payload from France, optical payload from India.
- Earlier ISRO-CNES satellites: Megha-Tropiques and SARAL.
- Key application: water stress and agricultural water management.