Question

Throw light on the development on remote sensing by satellites.

Answer 1

The development of remote sensing by satellites began in the 1960s with weather-monitoring satellites like TIROS-1. In the 1970s, the Landsat program revolutionised Earth observation with global images for mapping and monitoring resources. The 1980s and 1990s saw the launch of advanced satellites like India’s IRS series, improving data quality and applications. From the 2000s onwards, high-resolution satellites like WorldView and Cartosat, along with new small-satellite missions (like CubeSats), have made satellite-based remote sensing highly detailed, affordable, and essential for environmental, agricultural, and disaster monitoring.