PSLV C-15 successfully placed into orbit
PSLV C-15 successfully placed into orbit
Sriharikota, Jul 12: India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) today successfully placed into orbit, remote sensing satellite Cartosat-2B and four other satellites after a perfect lift off from Sriharikota. At the end of an over 51-hour countdown, the 44.4 metre-tall four-stage PSLV-C-15, costing 260 crore rupees, blasted off from a launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre with ignition of the core first stage and placed the satellites in orbit one after the other.
Scientists, headed by ISRO chairman Dr K Radhakrishnan, cheered as ISRO’s workhorse PSLV soared into clear skies at 9.22 AM. The PSLV launch assumes significance as it comes about three months after ISRO suffered a major setback when the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D3), which was launched using an Indian-designed and built cryogenic engine for the first time, failed and fell into the Bay of Bengal. Attributing today’s success of PSLV C-15 launch to the entire team behind the mission, ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan said, it had a an excellent flight and injected precisely the five satellites. He said his team of scientists was inspired to work especially after the last few weeks after a serious problem was faced. He said, ISRO have understood the problem with regard to the indigenous cryogenic engine and stage.
Cartosat-2B is an advanced remote sensing satellite built by ISRO. It is the latest in the Indian remote sensing satellite series and the 17th in this series.
Cartosat-2B is mainly intended to augment remote sensing data services to the users of multiple spot scene imagery with 0.8 metre spatial resolution and 9.6 km swath in the panchromatic.
Cartosat-2 and 2A, two Indian remote sensing satellites in orbit, are currently providing such services. A set of four satellites including Studsat built by students of seven engineering colleges in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, Alsat from Algeria, two nano satellites from Canada and Switzerland, and a pico (very small) satellite called Oceansat 2 accompanied Cartosat 2 on its trip to orbit.
The Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahuluwalia, and former ISRO chief Dr K Kasturirangan witnessed the launch. Congratulating the scientists after the perfect take off, Ahluwalia said, the ISRO has made the country proud by its achievements.
