The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is getting ready to launch a remote sensing earth observation satellite by the end of this month, officials said this week.

Resourcesat-2 will replace Resourcesat-1 launched in 2003, which has outlived its original mission life of five years.

For some time Resourcesat-2 and Resourcesat-1 will work together before the latter is fully replaced.

The satellites will be carried by ISRO’s polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV). The launch will be between February 20 and 25 in the morning. The PSLV will also be carrying two other small satellites made in Singapore and Russia.

With nine orbiting satellites and the tenth one to join in February, India has the largest number of remote sensing satellites in the world

Data from the satellites is used to provide production estimation of major crops, monitor droughts, map flood zones, estimate water use, plan urban areas, survey forests, and prospect for minerals.