Countdown for Cartosat-2 launch begins

A 48-hour countdown began on Monday for the launch of record 20 satellites, including India’s latest earth observation Cartosat-2 Series Satellite, onboard PSLV C-34 from Sriharikota on June 22.

Though PSLV was created to launch Indian remote sensing satellites into polar sun synchronous orbit, the vehicle has repeatedly proved its reliability and versatility by successfully launching satellites into a variety of orbits including polar Sun Synchronous, Geosynchronous Transfer and Low Earth orbits of small inclination, thereby repeatedly proving the robustness of its design.

According to ISRO, the Indian rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C34 carrying 20 satellites will lift off from the rocket port at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh at 9.26 am on June 22. While Swayam satellite has a payload mass of 1kg, Sathyabamasat has a payload mass of 1.5kg. Once the PSLV C34 puts the satellites into their circular low earth orbits, it will not wind up its operation immediately, as it used to be in the past. It also includes two satellites from Indian Universities.

“After Mission Readiness Review (MRR) committee and Launch Authorisation Board (LAB) cleared the formalities, the 48-hr countdown started at 9:26 am, a senior ISRO spokesperson told DH”.

The co-passenger satellites together will weigh about 560 kg at lift-off.

The images sent by Cartosat-2 will be useful for cartographic, urban, rural and coastal land use, water distribution and other applications.

The co-passengers include satellites from the US, Canada, Germany and Indonesia. This will be the first time that ISRO has launched more than 10 satellites in a single mission.

ISRO has so far launched 57 satellites for foreign countries.