ISRO successfully launches Italian satellite

For the first time in its history, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched a third-party satellite as a primary payload in its vehicle.

In ISRO's first ever commercial launch, PSLV-C8, the eleventh flight of ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), lifted off at 3:30 pm today and successfully launched the 352 kg Italian astronomical satellite called AGILE from the second launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR in Sriharikota, the spaceport of India, located about 80 km north of Chennai in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, into a circular orbit.

AGILE was launched into a 550-km circular orbit, inclined at an angle of 2.5 degrees to the equator. For the first time, PSLV launched a satellite into an equatorial circular orbit of 550 km.

With this successful launch, India joins the elite group of US, Russia, France, China and Japan which have the capability to launch commercial satellites.

Besides AGILE, an advanced avionic module (AAM), weighing 185 kg, was also placed in orbit. This was launched to test advanced launch vehicle avionics systems like mission computers, navigation and telemetry systems. ISRO has been using mission computers and navigation systems developed in the '90s.

Addressing a press conference, ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said the launch was a historic event as ISRO had to use a 'strip-down' and a modified version of PSLV to meet the special requirements of the Italian agency, which wanted to put its satellite into a different orbit.

PSLV-C8, was configured, for the first time, without the six solid strap-on motors of the first stage and also the propellant in the fourth stage had been reduced by about 400 kg compared to the previous PSLV flight. The core alone PSLV-C8 had a life-off mass of 230 tonne. The cost of the PSLV was about Rs 65 crore and ISRO has charged the Italian agency $29,000 per kg for this commercial launch.

With good design, quality and reliable systems, we were able to offer commercially competitive rates and they have appreciated the same, Nair added.

Nair said the worldwide commercial rocket launch market was estimated between $1.5 billion and $2 billion and ISRO would at least try to garner 2 per cent share.

He also said the successful test of AMM gave ISRO confidence to place next generation systems as its main systems in its vehicles such PSLV and GSLV in the future.

Italian Space Agency President Giovawwi Bignami said ISRO's launch was successful and the satellite had relayed the data.