CARTOSAT-2C

CARTOSAT-2C is an Indian Earth observation satellite operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and catalogued under NORAD ID 41599 with the international designator 2016-040A. Launched in June 2016, it forms part of the long-running Cartosat series of remote sensing spacecraft that have become central to India's civil and strategic mapping capabilities. The satellite continues to orbit Earth today, contributing to a constellation of sensors dedicated to high-resolution surface imaging.

Mission and Purpose

The Cartosat series represents one of ISRO's most sustained commitments to Earth observation from orbit. These satellites are designed primarily for cartographic applications — the precise imaging of Earth's surface to support land-use mapping, urban planning, infrastructure development, boundary demarcation, disaster assessment, and agricultural monitoring. CARTOSAT-2C fits within this lineage as the fifth flight unit of the Cartosat-2 series, a line of spacecraft that has progressively refined the imaging capabilities initiated by earlier Cartosat missions.

Earth observation satellites of this type carry high-resolution panchromatic and multispectral cameras capable of resolving fine surface detail. Data collected by such platforms is used by government agencies, urban planners, defense establishments, and environmental scientists who require accurate and regularly updated imagery of terrain and infrastructure. The ability to revisit the same geographic area on a predictable schedule — a natural consequence of Sun-synchronous orbital geometry — makes these spacecraft particularly valuable for change-detection studies, where analysts compare images taken days or weeks apart to track how landscapes or structures are evolving.

Although the precise imaging payload specifications for CARTOSAT-2C are not disclosed in the public catalog record maintained for this object, the broader Cartosat-2 series is widely recognized in the remote sensing community for sub-metric ground resolution, placing it among the more capable civilian Earth observation systems operated by any national space agency. The satellite's data products are made available through ISRO's National Remote Sensing Centre, supporting both domestic government programs and, under established data-sharing frameworks, international partners.

It is worth noting that a claim sometimes encountered — that CARTOSAT-2C is a geostationary satellite — is factually incorrect and should be disregarded. A geostationary orbit sits approximately 35,786 kilometres above the equator and requires an inclination near zero degrees. CARTOSAT-2C orbits at roughly 500 kilometres altitude with an inclination of 97.4 degrees, characteristics entirely incompatible with geostationary flight. It is, correctly, a low-Earth orbit spacecraft in a Sun-synchronous configuration.

Orbit and Tracking

CARTOSAT-2C occupies a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), a variety of near-polar low Earth orbit engineered so that the orbital plane precesses at a rate matching Earth's annual revolution around the Sun. The practical result is that the satellite crosses any given latitude at approximately the same local solar time on every pass. For an imaging satellite, this consistency is invaluable: illumination angles remain roughly constant between successive overflights, making it far easier to compare images acquired on different dates without the confounding variable of dramatically different shadow lengths or sun angles.

According to current tracking data, CARTOSAT-2C has an apogee of 519 kilometres and a perigee of 505 kilometres, indicating a nearly circular orbit with only about 14 kilometres of altitude variation across the full ellipse. This tight, nearly circular profile is deliberate — cartographic and high-resolution imaging missions benefit from a stable, predictable altitude that keeps ground resolution consistent across the imaging swath. The orbital inclination is 97.4 degrees, which is slightly retrograde relative to Earth's rotation, as is characteristic of all Sun-synchronous orbits. The orbital period is 94.7 minutes, meaning the satellite completes just over fifteen full orbits of Earth in every 24-hour day.

The satellite was assigned NORAD catalog number 41599 and is tracked continuously by the United States Space Surveillance Network, whose observations feed into the two-line element sets (TLEs) used by tracking platforms worldwide, including LowEarth. Its COSPAR international designator, 2016-040A, encodes the year of launch (2016), the sequential launch number within that year (40), and the letter A, indicating it was the primary payload on that launch vehicle. As of the time of writing, the object remains in orbit and has not undergone atmospheric reentry.

The low altitude of this orbit means that atmospheric drag, though extremely tenuous at 500 kilometres, does act on the spacecraft over time. Satellites in this altitude band typically have operational lifespans measured in years before they either exhaust onboard propellant used for orbit maintenance or gradually decay toward reentry. Whether CARTOSAT-2C is actively maintained or drifting passively is not recorded in the public catalog data available here.

Design and Operator

CARTOSAT-2C was built and launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation, India's primary civil space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru. ISRO was established in 1969 and has grown into one of the world's most prolific space agencies, notable for conducting a large number of missions at comparatively modest cost. The agency manages the full cycle of Indian government satellites — design, fabrication, launch, and on-orbit operations — through a network of specialized centers across India.

The specific manufacturer of CARTOSAT-2C's bus or payload hardware is not recorded in the public object catalog, so no attribution can be made here. The satellite's mass is similarly not publicly listed in the tracking catalog, though spacecraft of this class — compact, agile Earth observation platforms in low Sun-synchronous orbits — typically fall within a range consistent with the lift capability of the launch vehicle used.

CARTOSAT-2C was launched on 22 June 2016 (which corresponds to the evening of 21 June 2016 in Eastern Daylight Time, as reflected in the catalog timestamp). It rode to orbit aboard one of ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLV), a four-stage rocket that has become the agency's workhorse for deploying Earth observation and small satellites into Sun-synchronous and polar orbits. The PSLV has an established record of delivering multiple payloads on a single mission, and the launch carrying CARTOSAT-2C is understood to have been one such multi-payload flight, carrying a number of smaller co-passenger satellites alongside the primary Cartosat payload — a commercial and cooperative arrangement ISRO has pursued regularly.

Significance and Legacy

The Cartosat-2 subseries, of which CARTOSAT-2C is the fifth member, has made India a prominent player in the global market and cooperative framework for high-resolution remote sensing. By operating multiple similar satellites in coordinated orbits, ISRO can reduce the revisit interval for any given location on Earth — a strategically important capability for both civilian planning applications and national security purposes. Each successive unit in the series has helped India maintain continuity of service as earlier spacecraft age, and has allowed incremental refinements in imaging performance.

More broadly, CARTOSAT-2C represents the maturation of an indigenous Indian capability that was, a few decades earlier, dependent on foreign satellite data. India's ability to design, manufacture, launch, and operate its own high-resolution Earth observation satellites has significant implications for sovereign access to geospatial intelligence, for the domestic geospatial industry, and for India's role as a provider of satellite services and data to other nations, particularly in the developing world.

The satellite's continued presence in orbit, years after its launch, reflects the durability of well-designed low Earth orbit spacecraft and the enduring demand for the kind of systematic, repeat-coverage Earth imaging that the Cartosat series provides. Whether the spacecraft remains operationally active or has been placed in a passive mode is not confirmed in the public record associated with this catalog entry, but its orbital parameters remain trackable and its position predictable.

How to Spot It

CARTOSAT-2C is a relatively small satellite in a low Earth orbit, and while it is not among the brightest objects in the night sky, it can potentially be seen by ground observers under the right conditions. At roughly 500 kilometres altitude, it moves across the sky in approximately three to five minutes during a favorable overhead pass. Like all Earth-orbiting satellites, it is visible only when it is in sunlight while the observer on the ground is in darkness — typically in the hour or two after evening twilight or before morning twilight.

To find a pass, use the orbital data provided on this page to generate a prediction for your location. The satellite will appear as a steadily moving point of light, showing no blinking (unlike aircraft) and no color variation. Passes that climb high in the sky, reaching elevations above 60 degrees above the horizon, will generally be the brightest and longest. Binoculars are not required but may improve visibility, especially for lower or more distant passes.