Technology Experiment Satellite

From Freepedia

As the name suggests, Technology Experiment Satellite is an expermental satellite aimed primarily to fulfill the role of spy satellite launched by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) - India's national space agency.. The satellite has the capability to detect moving vehicles that are more than a metre long becoming the second such satellite next only to US spy satellites with such a high resolution [3]. The Kargil War prompted the rapid inclusion of a dedicated espionage satellite. It was first used to produce images of Iraqi military installations that were destroyed after US invasion in 2003.

The Technology Experiment Satellite, TES, weighing 1108 kg, is an experimental satellite to demonstrate and validate in orbit, technologies that could be used in the future satellites of ISRO. Some of the technologies that are planned to be demonstrated in TES are attitude and orbit control system, high-torque reaction wheels, new reaction control system employing optimised thrusters and a single propellant tank, light-weight spacecraft structure, solid state recorder, X-band phased array antenna, improved satellite positioning system, miniaturised TTC and power systems and, two-mirror-on-axis camera optics. TES will also carry a panchromatic camera for remote sensing experiments.

http://www.isro.org/pressrelease/Oct22_2001.html