Click to play videoNew Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organisation on Monday launched a polar satellite launch vehicle carrying a 690-kg Cartosat-2a remote sensing satellite and eight nano satellites from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
Carrying a record ten satellites as payload, PSLV-C9, the 13th flight of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), blasted off from the SHAR Range at 0923 hrs, today.
Scientists cheered as the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, in its 13th flight, soared into the clear sky in a perfect lift off at 0923 hrs (IST) from the second launch pad.
An elated ISRO Chief, G Madhvan Nair confirmed the success of the mission. "We couldn't detect slightest deviation from designated trajectory. It shows the mission was perfect and spacecraft delivered on the dot."
Apart from the Indian Mini Satellite and eight foreign nano satellites, the PSLV will also will put into orbit a latest remote sensing satellite.
It's for the first time that the Indian space agency is attempting the liftoff. Russia had placed 16 satellites simultaneously in space in April last year. But as against the 824 kg payload being carried by the PSLV, the Russian mission carried only a 300 kg payload.
Step-by-step into space
NLS-4 developed by University of Toronto, Canada, consists of six nanosatellites developed by various Universities. Two of them, CUTE 1.7 and SEEDS were built in Japan, while the other four - CAN-X2, AAUSAT-II, COMPASS-1 AND DELPHI-C3 - were built in Canada, Denmark, Germany and Netherlands respectively.
The eight nano satellites were built to develop nano-technologies for use in satellites as well as for the development of technologies for satellite applications.
This would be the 13th flight of PSLV, the workhorse launch vehicle of the ISRO, and third flight with 'core-alone' configuration.
The sources said that about 885 sec after lift off and after separation from the fourth stage, PSLV-C9 would inject the main payload Cartosat-2A in the Polar Sun Synchronous Orbit at a height of 635 km with an inclination of 97.94 degree with respect to the equator. It would be followed by the separation and injection of IMS-1 about 930 secs after the launch. After this, eight nano satellites would get separated and placed in the intended orbit in sequence.
The ISRO sources said CARTOSAT-2A carries a state-of-the-art Panchromatic camera (PAN) capable of taking black-and-white pictures in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The imagery would have a spatial resolution of about one metre. The camera covers a swath (geographical strip of land) of about 9.6 km. The highly agile CARTOSAT-2A was steerable along as well as across the direction of its movement to facilitate imaging of any area more frequently.
CARTOSAT-2A, the 13th in the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) Series, would form a pair with CARTOSAT-2 launched in January 2007, providing more frequent revisit. It carries a solid State Recorder with a capacity of 64 GB to store the images taken by its camera and the images could later be transmitted with the satellite comes within the visibility of a ground station.
The sources said PAN imagery with one metre spatial resolution would be invaluable in urban infrastructure and transportation system planning, monitoring and implementation, mapping individual settlements and internal roads, urban complexes and urban utilities, planning rural roads and infrastructure development that require detained terrain evaluation at large scales upto 1:2500. “Delineation and characterisation of micro watersheds is another important area, which can be benefited by Cartosat-2A data. Coastal land also can also be monitored using the data from this satellite,” the sources said.
The IMS-1 was specifically developed by ISRO for remote sensing purposes and to carry different payloads in future without sigificant change in it. Weighing 83 kg at lift-off, IMS-1, being flown as an auxiliary payload, incorporates many new technologies and had miniaturised subsystems.
IMS-1 carries two optical payloads - a Multispectral camera (Mx Payload) and a Hyperspectral camera (HySI Payload). Both Mx and HySI payloads operate in the visible and near infra-red regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
The resolution of Mx camera was 37 metre with a swath of 151 km while that of HySI was about 506 metre with a swath of 129.5 km. The imagery from Mx camera would be provided to developing countries, while those from HySI camera were meant for usage in India.
Apart from the two Indian satellites, PSLV-C9 would also be carrying eight nanosatellites built by Universities and research institutions in Canada and Germany.
These satellites were being launched under a commercial agreement with Antrix Corporation.
(With inputs from PTI)
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