Rocketing India into Space History
Posted on April 29, 2008
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India set a record here on Monday when its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C9) fired 10 satellites into orbit in a precisely timed sequence. India became the second country in the world after the proven polar satellite launch and roared to life away from the grip of gravity at the space port to place with precision 10 satellites in their orbits some 600 km from the earth.
The 10-pack launch of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) saw the 230-tonne Polar Satellite launch Vehicle (PSLV-C9) carry the heaviest luggage — 824 kgs — and put into orbit an Indian Mini Satellite and eight foreign nano satellites besides the Cartosat-2A remote sensing satellite.At the end of the 52-hour countdown, the PSLV-C9 blasted off from the launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre and soared into the clear sky in a textbook launch. Fourteen minutes after lift off, the fourth stage of the ISRO’s workhorse launch vehicle, in its 13th flight, injected the ten satellites, into the 635 km polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO).
This is for the first time that ISRO has put ten satellites in orbit in a single launch. This is also PSLV’s twelfth successful flight. It is for the first time in the world that ten satellites were launched in a single mission. Russia had earlier launched eight satellites together. Besides the 690 kg Indian remote sensing satellite CARTOSAT-2A and the 83 kg Indian Mini Satellite (IMS-1), the rest eight Nano Satellites were from abroad. This is the third time, the PSLV has been launched in the core alone version, without the six solid propellant first stage strap-on motors.
CARTOSAT-2A which was put in orbit by PSLV-C9 is the latest state-of-the-art remote sensing satellite weighing 690 kg, carries a Panchromatic Camera (PAN) capable of taking black and white pictures in the visible region of electromagnetic spectrum. It would be used for mapping purpose and management of natural resources.
The IMS-I, developed by ISRO for a remote sensing, has two optical payloads–a mutispectral camera (Mx Payload) and a Hyperspectral Camera (HySI Payload), which would operate in the visible and near infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The eight Nano Satellites, built by universities and research institutions in Canada and Germany, were launched under a commercial agreement. The satellites, with a total weight of about 50 kg, were built to develop nano technologies for use in satellites and for the development of technologies for satellite applications.
However, the launch was not without its tense moments. As the 50-hour countdown progressed, an unseasonal trough of low pressure formed off the Andaman archipelago in the Bay of Bengal, where the Sriharikota island lies.
Luckily for ISRO, it did not develop into a large system and headed off north-east.
At 9.24 a.m., under overcast conditions, the core-alone version of the PSLV sizzled into life in the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre and soared into the sky. The core-alone version does not have the six strap-on booster motors that form part of the standard version. Each of the four stages of the vehicle fired on time. As the explosive bolts strapped between the stages ignited, each stage fell into the sea. The fourth stage first fired Cartosat-2A into orbit at an altitude of 637 km about 885 seconds after lift-off. About 45 seconds later, it propelled IMS-into orbit. Then the six nano satellites belonging to a cluster called NLS-4 were injected into orbit at intervals of 20 seconds each. NLS-5, a single satellite, flew out and finally the tenth satellite Rubin-8 went along with the fourth stage into orbit.
There was anxiety when commands went out for the separation of the nano satellites, but the telemetry signals did not reach the ground. Confirmation of the separation did come later. Nineteen minutes after lift-off, a voice boomed from the Mission Control Centre: “Mission completed.†Two satellites belonged to India and the remaining were very small ones built by universities in different countries. The Indian satellites were Cartosat-2A, used for preparing maps, and the Indian Mini Satellite — IMS-1, for remote-sensing.
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[...] october wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptIndia set a record here on Monday when its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C9) fired 10 satellites into orbit in a precisely timed sequence. India became the second country in the world after the proven polar satellite launch and … [...]
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[...] Simone Risola wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptFourteen minutes after lift off, the fourth stage of the ISRO’s workhorse launch vehicle, in its 13th flight, injected the ten satellites, into the 635 km polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO). This is for the first time that ISRO has put … [...]