Skip to main content
Space Space
Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter
RSS
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Space Exploration
    • Launches & Spacecraft
      • Private spaceflight
      • Human spaceflight
      • SpaceX
      • Blue Origin
      • Virgin Galactic
      • United Launch Alliance
    • Search for Life
      • Exoplanets
      • SETI
      • Aliens
    • Missions
      • International Space Station
      • Space Shuttle
      • Apollo
      • Artemis
      • Voyager
      • Asteroid & Comet Missions
      • Mars rovers
      • New Horizons
      • Parker Solar Probe
    • Satellites
  • Astronomy
    • Solar System
      • The Sun
      • Asteroids
      • Mars
      • Comets
      • Mercury
      • Jupiter
      • Saturn
      • Pluto
      • Venus
      • Dwarf Planets
      • Neptune
      • Uranus
    • The Moon
      • Moon Phases
    • The Earth
      • Live 4K video from space
      • Climate Change
      • Weather
    • The Universe
      • Stars
      • Black Holes
      • Dark Universe
      • Galaxies
    • Deep Space
      • James Webb Space Telescope
      • Hubble Space Telescope
  • Stargazing
    • Skywatching Kit
      • Telescopes
      • Cameras
    • Astrophotography
    • Eclipses
      • Lunar Eclipses
      • Solar Eclipses
  • Entertainment
    • Space Movies & Shows
      • Star Trek
      • Star Wars
    • Space Games
    • Space Toys & Lego
    • Space Books
    • Technology
      • Drones
      • Aerospace
    • Science
      • Particle Physics
      • Astrophysics
  • Videos
    • Subscribe to our Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Web Notifications
  • home
  • Space Exploration
    • View Space Exploration
    • Launches & Spacecraft
      • View Launches & Spacecraft
      • Private spaceflight
      • Human spaceflight
      • SpaceX
      • Blue Origin
      • Virgin Galactic
      • United Launch Alliance
    • Search for Life
      • View Search for Life
      • Exoplanets
      • SETI
      • Aliens
    • Missions
      • View Missions
      • International Space Station
      • Space Shuttle
      • Apollo
      • Artemis
      • Voyager
      • Asteroid & Comet Missions
      • Mars rovers
      • New Horizons
      • Parker Solar Probe
    • Satellites
  • Astronomy
    • View Astronomy
    • Solar System
      • View Solar System
      • The Sun
      • Asteroids
      • Mars
      • Comets
      • Mercury
      • Jupiter
      • Saturn
      • Pluto
      • Venus
      • Dwarf Planets
      • Neptune
      • Uranus
    • The Moon
      • View The Moon
      • Moon Phases
    • The Earth
      • View The Earth
      • Live 4K video from space
      • Climate Change
      • Weather
    • The Universe
      • View The Universe
      • Stars
      • Black Holes
      • Dark Universe
      • Galaxies
    • Deep Space
      • View Deep Space
      • James Webb Space Telescope
      • Hubble Space Telescope
  • Stargazing
    • View Stargazing
    • Skywatching Kit
      • View Skywatching Kit
      • Telescopes
      • Cameras
    • Astrophotography
    • Eclipses
      • View Eclipses
      • Lunar Eclipses
      • Solar Eclipses
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • Space Movies & Shows
      • View Space Movies & Shows
      • Star Trek
      • Star Wars
    • Space Games
    • Space Toys & Lego
    • Space Books
    • Technology
      • View Technology
      • Drones
      • Aerospace
    • Science
      • View Science
      • Particle Physics
      • Astrophysics
  • Videos
    • Subscribe to our Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Web Notifications
Don't miss these
The silhouette of an observatory under a pinkish sky with lots of stars and a few streaks.
Satellites The Rubin Observatory will change the game for astronomy — if satellite companies don't get in the way
a rocket's high-altitude plume is lit up in shades of blue and orange by the sun prior to sunrise.
Launches & Spacecraft SpaceX Starlink launch creates gorgeous 'jellyfish' in predawn Florida skies (video, photos)
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket launches from New Zealand on the "Insight At Speed Is A Friend Indeed" mission on March 5, 2026.
Launches & Spacecraft Rocket Lab launches mystery satellite for 'confidential commercial customer' (video)
The Mauve commercial space telescope measured ultraviolet light from one of the brightest stars in the Ursa Major constellation.
Exoplanets The world's 1st private space telescope just spotted its 1st star. Here's what it saw.
gif animation of a starlink satellite train traveling through the night sky as distinct bright white lights against a backdrop of stars.
Satellites Starlink satellite train: how to see and track it in the night sky
How the kind of external coronagraph developed through StarTiger-2 would work in practice: ESA plans to make Proba-3 the first mission of this kind.
Missions Will Proba-3 phone home? European solar-eclipse satellite goes dark
a triple-core rocket blasts off under a sunny, partly cloudy blue sky. smoke expands below next to an obscured launch tower, near a long white hanger with SPACEX written on the side. To the left, a bird flies away.
Launches & Spacecraft Rocket launch today: Is there a rocket launch and what time?
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the EchoStar XXV TV satellite from Florida on March 10, 2026.
Launches & Spacecraft SpaceX launches 15,000-pound TV satellite to orbit on its 30th mission of the year (photos, video)
a montage of two photographs showing nighttime rocket launches, including a time lapse exposure
Launches & Spacecraft SpaceX deploys two more Starlink groups into orbit on March 1 bicoastal launches (video)
An illustration of China's robotic Shenlong space plane above Earth.
Launches & Spacecraft China's mysterious Shenlong space plane recently launched on its 4th mission. What is it doing up there?
a montage of three photos showing a rocket launch, satellites being deployed into Earth orbit and a timelapse exposure of another rocket launch
Launches & Spacecraft February finale: SpaceX wraps up month with three Starlink launches this week
A Japanese H3 rocket launches the Michibiki 5 navigation satellite from Tanegashima Space Center on Dec. 21, 2025. The rocket suffered a problem with its second stage, resulting in a failure.
Launches & Spacecraft Japanese H3 rocket fails during launch of navigation satellite (video)
Orion spacecraft with Earth in background
Space Exploration Moon landings, asteroid missions and new telescopes: Here are the top spaceflight moments to look forward to in 2026
A map of the entire sky over Earth in 102 wavelengths of infrared light as seen by SPHEREx.
Galaxies NASA's SPHEREx telescope completes its 1st cosmic map of the entire sky and it's stunning!
a large orange rocket beside metal scaffolding on a wheeled platform rolls into a massive hangar building in front of a purple and orange sunset
Artemis Artemis 2 moon rocket rolls back to the shop | Space photo of the day Feb. 27, 2026
Trending
  • Amazing Blood Moon photos of 2026!
  • Night sky tonight!
  • Best Telescopes
  • Aurora Forecast
  • Space Calendar
  • Live 4K Sen video from space!
  • Best Drones
  • Lego Star Wars deals
  • Next Full Moon
  • Best Star Projectors
  • Solar System Planets
  • Best Binoculars
  1. Space Exploration
  2. Satellites

In Photos: India Launches the RISAT-2B Earth-Imaging Satellite

News
By Hanneke Weitering published 22 May 2019

India's newest "eye in the sky" will boost the nation's surveillance capabilities.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has successfully launched its new Earth observation satellite RISAT-2B into orbit. It lifted off on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle designated PSLV-C46 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India, on May 21, 2019 at 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT, or 5:30 a.m. local time on May 22).

RISAT-2B will use an X-band synthetic aperture radar to map the Earth day and night, rain or shine. The images will be used for agriculture, forestry, disaster relief efforts and military surveillance.

Read the full story: India Successfully Launches RISAT-2B Earth-Observation Satellite

Click through this gallery to see photos of the launch and behind-the-scenes work at ISRO's rocket-building facilities. 

Page 1 of 13
Page 1 of 13

An Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle launches into orbit carrying the Risat-2B Earth observation satellite for the Indian Space Research Organisation on May 21, 2019 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India.

Page 2 of 13
Page 2 of 13

The PSLV rocket streaks toward space in this view of the successful Risat-2B launch.

Page 3 of 13
Page 3 of 13

The Risat-2B Earth observation satellite launched from the Indian Space Research Organisation's Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India.

Page 4 of 13
Page 4 of 13

India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C46) launches the RISAT-2B satellite into orbit from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India. 

Page 5 of 13
Page 5 of 13

India's RISAT-2B satellite is pictured above the Earth a few seconds after separating from the fourth stage of the PSLV-C46 rocket in this screenshot from ISRO's launch webcast. 

Page 6 of 13
Page 6 of 13

Two joined segments of the PSLV-C46 core stage are pictured at the mobile service tower at the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India.  

Page 7 of 13
Page 7 of 13

The third and fourth stages of the PSLV-C46 rocket are integrated at ISRO's Vehicle Assembly Building in Sriharikota, India. 

Page 8 of 13
Page 8 of 13

Engineers work on the PSLV-C46 rocket's third and fourth stages at ISRO's Stage Preparation Facility.

Page 9 of 13
Page 9 of 13

The PSLV-C46 second stage is hoisted up before integration with the rocket's first stage. 

Page 10 of 13
Page 10 of 13

ISRO engineers stand by as an interstage component of the PSLV-C46 rocket gets a lift during the rocket integration process. 

Page 11 of 13
Page 11 of 13

ISRO engineers install the Secondary Injection Thrust Vector Control system (SITVC) on the rocket's first stage. This component controls the rocket's pitch and yaw during the beginning of the flight. 

Page 12 of 13
Page 12 of 13

The nozzle end segment of the PSLV-C46 rocket is lifted over the launch pedestal at the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India.

Page 13 of 13
Page 13 of 13
Hanneke Weitering
Hanneke Weitering
Social Links Navigation
Contributing expert

Hanneke Weitering is a multimedia journalist in the Pacific Northwest reporting on the future of aviation at FutureFlight.aero and Aviation International News and was previously the Editor for Spaceflight and Astronomy news here at Space.com. As an editor with over 10 years of experience in science journalism she has previously written for Scholastic Classroom Magazines, MedPage Today and The Joint Institute for Computational Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. After studying physics at the University of Tennessee in her hometown of Knoxville, she earned her graduate degree in Science, Health and Environmental Reporting (SHERP) from New York University. Hanneke joined the Space.com team in 2016 as a staff writer and producer, covering topics including spaceflight and astronomy. She currently lives in Seattle, home of the Space Needle, with her cat and two snakes. In her spare time, Hanneke enjoys exploring the Rocky Mountains, basking in nature and looking for dark skies to gaze at the cosmos. 

Read more
An Indian PSLV rocket launches the EOS-N1 military satellite and 15 other payloads on Jan. 11, 2025. It was the first PSLV flight since a failure in May 2025.
Indian PSLV rocket apparently fails for 2nd launch in a row (video)
 
 
An Indian LVM3 rocket launches the BlueBird 6 smartphone satellite for AST SpaceMobile on Dec. 23, 2025.
Indian rocket launches record-breaking BlueBird 6 smartphone satellite to orbit (video)
 
 
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the  COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation mission for the Italian Space Agency and the Italian Ministry of Defence from California on Jan. 2, 2026.
SpaceX launches Italian Earth-observing satellite to orbit on the 1st mission of 2026 (video)
 
 
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket launches "The Wisdom God Guides" mission for the Japanese company iQPS from New Zealand on Dec. 21, 2025.
Rocket Lab launches final mission of 2025, sends Japanese Earth-observing satellite to orbit (video)
 
 
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket launches the "RAISE and Shine" mission from New Zealand on Dec. 13, 2025.
Rocket Lab launches Japanese technology-demonstrating satellite to orbit (photos, video)
 
 
A Space Falcon 9 rocket launches the GPS III-SV09 satellite for the U.S. Space Force from Florida on Jan. 27, 2026.
SpaceX launches advanced GPS satellite for US Space Force (video, photos)
 
 
Latest in Satellites
The twin Van Allen Probes orbit in Earth's inner and outer radiation belts.
Incoming! 1,300-pound NASA satellite will crash to Earth on March 10
 
 
The silhouette of an observatory under a pinkish sky with lots of stars and a few streaks.
The Rubin Observatory will change the game for astronomy — if satellite companies don't get in the way
 
 
A satellite view of a large white spiral over land and sea representing the northeast U.S.
Satellites watch as bomb cyclone hits northeast U.S. with snow and lightning
 
 
streaks of light crisscross a dark blue sky above a blurry earth below
Satellite megaconstellations continue to grow. Could their debris fall on us?
 
 
An illustration showing Earth with different colored loops around it.
Earth orbit is getting crowded. Can this map of 1 million routes around our planet help prevent satellite collisions?
 
 
An illustration of a globe surrounded by various lines with dots of different colors engulfing the sphere against a black background
China joins race to develop space-based data centers with 5-year plan
 
 
Latest in News
a dense cluster of bright dots of light on a black background
The 'invisible giant' at the heart of our galaxy | Space photo of the day for March 11, 2026
 
 
A selection of Artemis 2 merchandise on a space background with a Space.com deals icon
NASA Artemis 2 gifts we love: Top picks for aspiring astronauts
 
 
A marble-like planet in space, against the darkness of the cosmos, with a blue glowing light all around it.
Jupiter's moons leave cold 'footprints' in the planet's auroras, James Webb Space Telescope finds
 
 
A spacecraft with solar panels heads for an asteroid in the darkness of space
NASA's DART planetary defense mission reveals asteroids hurling 'cosmic snowballs' at each other
 
 
An artist's impression of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, with methanol (blue) flowing from both its nucleus and icy grains in the coma, while hydrogen cyanide (orange) is released mainly from the nucleus.
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is 'bursting with methanol,' new study finds
 
 
an alien engine of war fires a blue weapon
'War Machine' succeeds where 'Transformers' fails, by making its giant robot feel real
 
 
MORE FROM SPACE...
  1. an alien engine of war fires a blue weapon
    1
    'War Machine' succeeds where 'Transformers' fails, by making its giant robot feel real
  2. 2
    NASA's DART planetary defense mission reveals asteroids hurling 'cosmic snowballs' at each other
  3. 3
    NASA Artemis 2 gifts we love: Top picks for aspiring astronauts
  4. 4
    Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is 'bursting with methanol,' new study finds
  5. 5
    Jupiter's moons leave cold 'footprints' in the planet's auroras, James Webb Space Telescope finds

Space is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...