Skip to main content
Space Space
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
RSS
  • Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter
    • Space Exploration
    • Astronomy
    • Stargazing
    • Launches & Spacecraft
    • Videos
    • The Moon
    • More
      • Subscribe to Our Newsletters
      • Like 4K Video from Space
      • Artemis
      • James Webb Space Telescope
      • Entertainment
      • Solar System
      • Forums
      • Technology
      • Search for Life
      • Get Space Magazines
      • About Us
      • Web Notifications
    Trending
    • Daytime fireball meteorite hits house!
    • Aurora Forecast
    • Live 4K Sen video from space!
    • Night sky tonight!
    • Next Full Moon
    • Space Calendar
    • Best Binoculars
    • Best Telescopes
    • Lego Star Wars deals
    • Best Drones
    • Solar System Planets
    • Best Star Projectors

    Recommended reading

    The PSLV rocket that will launch India's EOS-09 Earth-observation satellite rolls to the Mobile Service Tower at Satash Dhawan Space Centre.
    Launches & Spacecraft Watch India launch its 2nd space mission of the year tonight
    an orange and white striped rocket lifts off into the dawn sky.
    Launches & Spacecraft Indian rocket launch fails, Earth-observation satellite lost (video)
    a rocket launch leaves a streak of light in the night sky
    Satellites South Korea sends 4th spy satellite to orbit on SpaceX rideshare launch
    A Rocket Lab Electron rocket launches the "Mountain God Guards" mission for the Japanese company iQPS from New Zealand on June 11, 2025.
    Launches & Spacecraft Rocket Lab launches Japanese Earth-observing radar satellite to orbit
    a white and black rocket lifts off into the black sky of night
    Launches & Spacecraft Rocket Lab launches private Japanese Earth-observing satellite
    Green and blue shapes over dark backgrounds
    Earth 'Nothing short of spectacular': ESA's Biomass satellite releases 1st views of Earth from orbit (photos)
    A series of purple and blue and orange shapes
    Earth New satellite constellation will scan the entire Earth every 20 minutes to find wildfires
    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
    The PSLV rocket that will launch India's EOS-09 Earth-observation satellite rolls to the Mobile Service Tower at Satash Dhawan Space Centre.
    Watch India launch its 2nd space mission of the year tonight
    an orange and white striped rocket lifts off into the dawn sky.
    Indian rocket launch fails, Earth-observation satellite lost (video)
    a rocket launch leaves a streak of light in the night sky
    South Korea sends 4th spy satellite to orbit on SpaceX rideshare launch
    A Rocket Lab Electron rocket launches the "Mountain God Guards" mission for the Japanese company iQPS from New Zealand on June 11, 2025.
    Rocket Lab launches Japanese Earth-observing radar satellite to orbit
    a white and black rocket lifts off into the black sky of night
    Rocket Lab launches private Japanese Earth-observing satellite
    Green and blue shapes over dark backgrounds
    'Nothing short of spectacular': ESA's Biomass satellite releases 1st views of Earth from orbit (photos)
    Latest in Satellites
    illustration of debris in orbit around Earth
    Satellites keep breaking up in space. Insurance won't cover them.
    A Chinese Long March 3B rocket launches the military space debris mitigation satellite Shijian-21from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Oct. 24, 2021. Shijian-21 apparently met up with another Chinese satellite high above Earth in June 2025.
    2 Chinese spacecraft just met up 22,000 miles above Earth. What were they doing?
    clouds of grey, white, and purple swirl over a black background
    Coating satellites with super-black paint Vantablack could help fight light pollution crisis
    a Y-shaped spacecraft in orbit above earth
    Satellites are polluting Earth's atmosphere with heavy metals. Could refueling them in orbit help?
    a cube-shaped spacecraft with two wing-like solar panels falls from space to earth, leaving a trail of fire behind it
    Scientists worry Trump's budget cuts will halt satellite air pollution studies: 'It's incredibly short-sighted'
    men in suits speak to reporters around a large wooden desk
    U.S. Space Force general to lead Trump's $175 billion Golden Dome space defense program
    Latest in News
    Project Hail Mary (2026)
    'The sun is dying!' Ryan Gosling tries to save a doomed Earth in 1st trailer for 'Project Hail Mary' (video)
    The Disney logo is in front of a dark blue planet with the space.com logo in the top left corner.
    Hurry! Today is your last chance to get 60% off Disney Plus for four months
    Blue dots representing near-Earth asteroids swarm around a bright central point of yellow light representing the sun. Grey lines can also be seen tracking the paths of particularly large asteroids.
    World Asteroid Day 2025: Watch live views of near-Earth asteroids for free online on June 30
    A cosmic fossil in the form of the galaxy KiDS J0842+0059 which has remained unchanged for billions of years
    Astronomers discover a galaxy frozen in time for billions of years: 'Fossil galaxies are like the dinosaurs of the universe'
    Apollo 13 (1995)
    'Apollo 13' at 30: the space movie where scientists have the right stuff too
    A Nikon Z6 II camera with Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 zoom lens attached on a purple Space.com background with a Space.com Prime Day deals badge on the left.
    Get ready to photograph the Buck moon on July 10 with the Nikon Z6 II, now $600 cheaper on this pre-Prime Day deal!
    MORE FROM SPACE...
    1. Three chalky grey rocks sit next to each other on a white background
      1
      'Like finding a tropical seed in Arctic ice': How a surprise mineral could change the history of asteroid Ryugu
    2. 2
      Astronomers discover a galaxy frozen in time for billions of years: 'Fossil galaxies are like the dinosaurs of the universe'
    3. 3
      Was ancient Mars habitable? NASA's Perseverance rover is grinding into a 'weird, uncooperative' rock to find out
    4. 4
      'The sun is dying!' Ryan Gosling tries to save a doomed Earth in 1st trailer for 'Project Hail Mary' (video)
    5. 5
      'Apollo 13' turns 30: How NASA legend Gerry Griffin helped director Ron Howard 'get it right'

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

    • 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...