TRISHNA Mission: ISRO–France Joint Mission to Monitor Earth’s Surface

TRISHNA Mission is a joint ISRO-CNES Earth observation mission to monitor land-surface temperature, water stress, agriculture, glaciers and climate variables. Know its objectives, payloads, orbit and UPSC relevance.

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TRISHNA Mission is a joint Earth-observation satellite mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and France’s CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales). TRISHNA stands for Thermal Infra-Red Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural resource Assessment.

The mission will use advanced thermal-infrared and multispectral observations to study Earth’s surface temperature, water stress, evapotranspiration, vegetation, inland and coastal waters, glaciers and urban heat.

The mission is particularly important because climate change and growing water demand are increasing the need for accurate information on how water and energy move through terrestrial ecosystems.

What is TRISHNA Mission?

TRISHNA is designed to provide high-resolution observations of Earth’s surface.

Its key scientific objective is to understand the interaction between water, energy and vegetation. By measuring land-surface temperature and combining it with optical observations, the satellite will help scientists identify areas experiencing water stress and assess how efficiently water is being used.

The mission is planned for launch on an Indian PSLV, with the launch currently targeted for 2027.

Key Facts about TRISHNA

Full form: Thermal Infra-Red Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural Resource Assessment
Nature: Indo-French Earth-observation mission
Agencies: ISRO and CNES
Launch vehicle: PSLV
Planned launch: 2027
Orbit: 761-km Sun-synchronous orbit
Mission life: 5 years
Main instruments: TIR and VNIR/SWIR
Primary focus: Surface temperature, water stress and environmental monitoring

Major Objectives of TRISHNA

1. Monitoring Water Stress

TRISHNA will help detect terrestrial water stress by observing changes in land-surface temperature and vegetation. This can improve understanding of water requirements in agricultural and natural ecosystems.

2. Improving Agricultural Water Management

The satellite will provide information related to evapotranspiration, helping estimate how much water is lost through evaporation and plant transpiration.

This data can support precision agriculture and efficient irrigation, particularly in water-stressed regions.

3. Studying Urban Heat Islands

TRISHNA will help map urban heat islands, where built-up areas experience higher temperatures than surrounding regions.

Such information can support climate-resilient urban planning and heat-risk assessment.

4. Monitoring Glaciers and Snow

Thermal observations will contribute to studies of glacier dynamics, snowmelt and runoff, which are important for understanding changes in mountain ecosystems and water resources.

5. Monitoring Inland and Coastal Waters

TRISHNA will study the temperature and dynamics of inland and coastal waters, contributing to research on aquatic ecosystems and environmental changes.

6. Detecting Thermal Anomalies

The mission can help identify thermal anomalies associated with volcanic and geothermal regions, supporting geological and disaster-related studies.

TRISHNA Payloads

TRISHNA will carry two major instrument systems developed through India-France cooperation.

Thermal Infrared (TIR) Payload

The TIR instrument is provided by CNES. It uses four thermal-infrared bands to measure land and water surface temperature and emissivity.

VNIR/SWIR Payload

The VNIR/SWIR instrument is developed by ISRO. It combines visible, near-infrared and short-wave infrared spectral bands to provide information about vegetation, surface reflectance and environmental conditions.

Combining thermal and optical observations is a major strength of the mission.

Why is TRISHNA Important?

TRISHNA can contribute to multiple areas:

Agriculture: Better irrigation and crop-water management
Water security: Monitoring water consumption and stress
Climate studies: Understanding land-atmosphere interactions
Urban planning: Mapping urban heat
Cryosphere: Monitoring glaciers and snow
Disaster management: Detecting thermal anomalies
Coastal studies: Monitoring coastal water conditions

The mission will therefore generate data relevant to climate adaptation, sustainable resource management and environmental policymaking.

India-France Space Cooperation

TRISHNA further strengthens the growing India-France partnership in space technology and Earth observation. India contributes its expertise in satellite development, remote sensing and launch capabilities, while France contributes advanced thermal-infrared Earth-observation technology.