India's second experimental Earth observation satellite, launched in 1981; it sent back more than two thousand images despite trouble with one camera.
Re-entered Earth's atmosphere on 30 November 1991, according to the public satellite catalogue.
Bhaskara-2 had the same goals as Bhaskara-1. A two-band TV camera system watched the land for hydrology, forestry and geology. One band saw visible light (0.54–0.66 micron) and the other near-infrared light (0.75–0.85 micron).
A microwave radiometer called SAMIR studied the ocean surface at three frequencies: 19.35, 22.235 and 31.4 GHz.
The satellite weighed 444 kg and had 47 watts of power. It was spin-stabilised, with its spin axis controlled, and used VHF radio.
Bhaskara-2 was launched on 20 November 1981 from Kapustin Yar on a Soviet rocket listed by ISRO as C-1 Intercosmos. Its orbit was about 541 × 557 km, tilted 50.7°.
One of its two cameras developed a problem. Even so, the satellite sent back more than two thousand images that were used in many studies. It was planned for one year of work, stayed in orbit for about ten years and re-entered in 1991.