| Names | Indian Remote Sensing satellite-P3 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Earth observation |
| Operator | ISRO |
| COSPAR ID | 1996-017A |
| SATCAT no. | 23827 |
| Website | https://www.isro.gov.in/ |
| Mission duration | 3 years (planned) 8.5 years (achieved) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | IRS-P3 |
| Bus | IRS-1A |
| Manufacturer | Indian Space Research Organisation |
| Launch mass | 922 kg (2,033 lb) |
| Dry mass | 838 kg (1,847 lb) |
| Dimensions | 1.56 m x 1.66 m x 1.10 m |
| Power | 873 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 21 March 1996, 04:53 UTC |
| Rocket | Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-D3 |
| Launch site | Satish Dhawan Space Centre, first launch pad |
| Contractor | Indian Space Research Organisation |
| Entered service | June 1996 [1] |
| End of mission | |
| Deactivated | 15 October 2004 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 802 km (498 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 848 km (527 mi) |
| Inclination | 98.69° |
| Period | 101.4 minutes |
| Instruments | |
| Multispectral Opto-electronic Scanner (MOS) Indian X-ray Astronomy Experiment (IXAE) Wide-Field Sensor (WiFS) | |
IRS-P3 was a remote sensing satellite launched by ISRO on board of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) launch vehicle for remote sensing of Earth's natural resources. It also hosted a scientific instrument, the Indian X-ray Astronomy Experiment (IXAE), for the study of X-ray astronomy. The IRS-P3 satellite contained an X-ray astronomy instrument, a C-band transponder and two remote sensing instruments.[2]