SRMSAT is an India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n technology demonstration and Earth Observation

Earth observation

Earth observation is the gathering of information about planet Earth’s physical, chemical and biological systems. It is used to monitor and assess the status of, and changes in, the natural environment and the built environment. In recent years, Earth observation has become technologically more and...

 satellite which will be operated by the SRM Institute of Science and Technology

SRM Institute of Science and Technology

SRM University is a co-educational private university from the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It was founded in the year 1985 as SRM Engineering college in Kattankulathur, under Anna University. The university now has four campuses in Tamil Nadu , one in Modinagar, near Delhi...

. It is a nanosatellite which will be used to monitor Greenhouse gases in atmosphere. It is a 10.4 kilograms (22.9 lb) spacecraft, which measures 28 centimetres (11 in) in length by 28 centimetres (11 in) in height and width. Its development programme cost around 1.5 crore rupee. It has a design life of one year.

SRMSAT's primary instrument is the Spectrometer , It also carries a GPS

Global Positioning System

The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...

 receiver to aid tracking, and is intended to demonstrate a microelectromechanical

Microelectromechanical systems

Microelectromechanical systems is the technology of very small mechanical devices driven by electricity; it merges at the nano-scale into nanoelectromechanical systems and nanotechnology...

 inertial measurement unit

Inertial measurement unit

An inertial measurement unit, or IMU, is an electronic device that measures and reports on a craft's velocity, orientation, and gravitational forces, using a combination of accelerometers and gyroscopes. IMUs are typically used to maneuver aircraft, including UAVs, among many others, and...

.

SRMSAT was launched into low Earth orbit

Low Earth orbit

A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...

 by a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle , commonly known by its abbreviation PSLV, is an expendable launch system developed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation . It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing satellites into sun synchronous orbits, a service that...

 flying from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre

Satish Dhawan Space Centre

The Satish Dhawan Space Centre is the launch centre for the Indian Space Research Organisation . It is located in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, India, north of Chennai in South India. It was originally called Sriharikota High Altitude Range , and was sometime known as Sriharikota Launching Range...

on Oct-12-2011.

For more information visit
http://www.srmsat.in/