The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) today successfully launched its 14th rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), an earth observation surveillance satellite, and the micro education satellite ANUSAT.
The two satellites were successfully injected in orbit by an Indian rocket, which took off from the spaceport of Sriharikota, 190 kms from Chennai, on Monday morning.
The rocket was launched at 6.45 a m and flew at a speed of 7.2 km per second, with defying gravity and a deep-throated growl, with 340 kg of luggage, including a 300-kg Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT2s) and a 40-kg ANUSAT, a first experimental communication satellite built by Anna University under the guidance of Isro.
Nineteen minutes after it took off from the port, the rocket reached its orbit at 550-km above the earth, and ANUSAT 10-km further into its intended circular orbit two minutes later.
The satellite was placed in an orbit with an inclination of 41 degrees to the equator and an orbital period of around 90 minutes. This satellite will enhance Isro’s capability for earth observation, especially during floods, cyclones, landslides and disaster management, said G Madhavan Nair, chairman, Isro.
He described the launch as “a fantastic New Year gift for the country and it’s a good asset for the nation. Performance of the vehicle is precise and there is no deviation to the planned flight path or the spacecraft being delivered into the orbit.”
He added that this was the 14th continuous successful launch of PSLV by Isro since 1994. There was only one failure out of the total 15, on its first developmental flight on September 20, 1993.
After the success of the next two developmental flights, there has been no looking back for the 44-metre-tall workhorse of the Isro.
Nair said the speciality of the rocket was that microwave imaging configuration had been installed for the first time. This would allow us to see through clouds, ground, water, vegetation and forest in day and night times.
| ISRO SATELLITES LAUNCHED SO FAR |
| PSLV-D1 September 20,1993 (The only unsuccessful launch) |
| PSLV-D2 October 15, 1994 |
| PSLV-D3, March 21,1996 |
| PSLV-C1 September 29,1997 |
| PSLV-C2, May 26,1999 |
| PSLV-C3 October 22, 2001 |
| PSLV-C4, September 12, 2002 |
| PSLV-C5 October 17,2003 |
| PSLV-C6, May 5, 2005 |
| PSLV-C7 January 10,2007 |
| PSLV-C8 April 23, 2007 |
| PSLV-C10 January 21, 2008 |
| PSLV-C9, April 28, 2008 |
| PSLV-C11 October 22, 2008 |
| PSLV-C12 April 20, 2009 |
India has joined countries like Japan, Canada and Germany, which have similar radars.
Immediately after their ejections, the Spacecraft Control Centre at Bangalore, with the help of ISTRAC network of stations at Bangalore, Lucknow, Mauritius and in other places, monitored the satellite’s health, he added.
