Will send information on various sectors, beside atmospheric studies; more launches scheduled soon
The Indian Space Resource Organisation (Isro) successfully launched PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) C16, carrying the remote sensing satellite Resourcesat–2 and two auxiliary satellites, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here this morning.
The launch was at 10.12 am, and the satellites reached the orbit in 18 minutes from the time of launch. The Sun Synchronous Polar Orbit fixed for the vehicle was at 822 km (from the earth), reached in 18 minutes.
“This is the 18th launch and the 17th successive successful launch of PSLV,” said K Radhakrishnan, chairman, Isro. The mission cost Rs 250 crore, including around Rs 135 crore on developing the satellite and another Rs 90 crore for the launching vehicle. The vehicle carried two auxiliary payloads, a joint Indo-Russian stellar and atmospheric satellite mission, Youthsat, and a mini satellite, X-Sat, developed by Nangyang Technological University of Singapore, said officials.
The Resourcesat-2, a 1,206-kg satellite would work with the Resourcesat-1 launched in 2003, with three cameras to monitor specific areas such as agriculture, water resources, rural development, bioresources, coastal studies, urban development, forest resource inventory and monitoring and geological exploration. It is expected to start sending pictures from April 28, said S Ramakrishnan, director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre.
The information would be used for national requirements and the data from ground stations out of India could be sold to other countries, said Radhakrishnan. India has nine remote sensing satellites in the atmosphere, delivering information on various segments.
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Resourcesat-2 also carries an additional payload known as Automatic Identification System from Comdev, Canada, as an experimental payload for ship surveillance in the VHF band to derive position, speed and other information on ships.
The satellite’s health would be continuously monitored from the spacecraft control centre at Bangalore with the help of the ISTRAC network of ground stations at Bangalore, Lucknow, Mauritius, Biak in Indonesia, Svalbard in Norway and Troll in Antartica.
Youthsat, second in the Indian Mini Satellite series, intends to investigate the relationship between solar variability and thermosphere-ionosphere (upper layers of the atmosphere) changes. The satellite carries three payloads, of which two are Indian and one Russian. X-Sat, also Singapore’s first satellite, is a mini-version with a multispectral camera as its primary payload. The mission is to demonstrate technologies related to satellite-based remote sending and onboard image processing.
In its past 16 consecutive successful flights, PSLV has launched 25 satellites for international customers and 19 Indian satellites, including 13 remote sensing ones, one meteorological satellite to watch weather, a recoverable capsule and the spacecraft for India’s first Moon mission, Chandrayaan–1.
Down the line
After this successful launch, Isro would be busy with more planned in the near future on communication infrastructure, remote sensing and navigation.
The next launch is on May 19, of its communication satellite, GSAT–8, with 3,200 kg of payload, from French Guiana. Completely built by Isro, it would have 24 transponders in the KU band for direct-to-home and other communication programmes, said K Radhakrishnan, chairman. He said they had planned another three PSLV launches by the end of this year.
According to P S Veeraraghavan, director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, Thiruvananthapuram, the PSLV-C17 would be launched by the end of June or the beginning of July. The launch of C18, a joint venture between India and France to study atmospheric changes and C19, a microwave remote sensing satellite with around 1,100 kg of payload, would follow in 2011. PSLV - C19 is expected to be launched in the last quarter of 2011, he added.
Isro is also in an advanced stage of developing an indigenous cryogenic stage for the Geostationary Launch Vehicle Mark-III and the flight test would be conducted in 2012, he said.
He added that Chandrayaan II, India’s next mission to the moon, is on track and Isro is developing the orbiter and rover, while the lander for the mission would be developed in collaboration with a Russian institute. It is also eyeing participating in the MoonRise Mission of the US National Aeronautical and Space Administration (Nasa), to provide an orbiter similar to the observation satellite, Chandrayaan-1. “It is in the planning phase and we are one of the three candidates looking for collaboration with Nasa for the mission in 2016,” said Radhakrishnan.