Mention salient features of ‘Mission Drishti’. Discuss the imaging techniques used in the satellite launched on 3rd May 2026. Why is it being considered the world’s first satellite of its kind? (250 words)

Mission Drishti is presented as an Earth-observation initiative centred on advanced, multi-modal imaging for persistent monitoring of atmospheric and surface processes.

Its significance lies in high-resolution, near-real-time and multi-spectral observation, integration of satellite data with analytics, and applications in weather, agriculture, disaster warning, climate research and security. Such a mission links space assets with decision-support systems rather than imagery alone.

A suitable imaging payload suite combines optical/visible and near-infrared sensors for land cover and vegetation; thermal infrared for temperature, fires and urban heat; synthetic-aperture radar for all-weather, day-night imaging; and hyperspectral channels for material and atmospheric signatures. Multi-angle or interferometric observations can estimate structure, moisture and change. Calibration, data fusion and revisit frequency determine operational value.

Its claim to global first status would rest on the combination of these modalities, resolution, revisit and a novel mission objective—not on a single camera. The evidence should be verified against the official ISRO mission description before citing an absolute first. Open data for researchers, privacy safeguards and indigenous sensor capability can yield benefits in crop advisory, floods, landslides and climate adaptation.

Earth observation; SAR; hyperspectral; thermal infrared; data fusion; disaster management; calibration.

science and technology; emerging technology; strategic application; India