ISRO’s PSLV launch station in Sriharikota. (Pic Via ISRO Website)India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket would launch the country's latest spy satellite RISAT-2BR1 and nine foreign satellites on 11 December, said the Indian space agency.
According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the rocket numbered as PSLV-C48 will lift off at 3.25 pm with RISAT-2BR1, a radar imaging earth observation satellite weighing about 628 kg.
The rocket will blast off from the first launch pad at Sriharikota rocket port in Andhra Pradesh and place RISAT-2BR1 into an orbit of 576 km. The satellite will have a life of five years.
Piggybacking on the Indian satellite would be nine foreign satellites from the USA (multi-mission Lemur-4 satellites, technology demonstration Tyvak-0129, earth imaging 1HOPSAT), Israel (remote sensing Duchifat-3), Italy (search and rescue Tyvak-0092) and Japan (QPS-SAR - a radar imaging earth observation satellite).
These international customer satellites are being launched under a commercial arrangement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).
According to the ISRO, the satellites will be carried by PSLV-QL variant. The rocket will have four strap-on motors and the December 11 flight will be the second space trip for this rocket variant.
The launch mission is expected to conclude in about 21 minutes when the last of the customer satellites will be put into orbit.
Till date, the ISRO has put into orbit 310 foreign satellites and if the December 11 missions turns out successful, then this number will go up to 319.
(With inputs from IANS)
An Appeal...
Dear Reader,
As you are no doubt aware, Swarajya is a media product that is directly dependent on support from its readers in the form of subscriptions. We do not have the muscle and backing of a large media conglomerate nor are we playing for the large advertisement sweep-stake.
Our business model is you and your subscription. And in challenging times like these, we need your support now more than ever.
We deliver over 10 - 15 high quality articles with expert insights and views. From 7AM in the morning to 10PM late night we operate to ensure you, the reader, get to see what is just right.
Becoming a Patron or a subscriber for as little as Rs 1200/year is the best way you can support our efforts.