News Analysis India

Tag: ISRO launch

  • ISRO Rockets Into New Year: XPoSat Launch Today, Check Timing And More Here |

    New Delhi: In a historic move, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch a space mission on January 1, deploying the PSLV-DL variant rocket carrying the X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) and 10 additional payloads. Previously, ISRO conducted space missions in January using its PSLV and GSLV rockets, but never on the inaugural day of the calendar year.

    At 9.10 a.m. the Indian rocket PSLV-DL variant with the code PSLV-C58, standing 44.4-metre tall and weighing 260 ton, will blast off from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, in Andhra Pradesh XPoSat weighing about 740 kg and 10 scientific payloads fixed to the PSLV Orbital Platform.

    PSLV-C58/  XPoSat Mission:
    The launch of the X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) is set for January 1, 2024, at 09:10 Hrs. IST from the first launch-pad, SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota.https://t.co/gWMWX8N6Iv

    The launch can be viewed LIVE
    from 08:40 Hrs. IST on
    YouTube:… pic.twitter.com/g4tUArJ0Ea
    — ISRO (@isro) December 31, 2023

    At about 21 minutes into its flight, the rocket will orbit XPoSat at an altitude of about 650 km. In its normal configuration, the PSLV is a four-stage/engine expendable rocket powered by solid and liquid fuels, alternatively, with six booster motors strapped onto the first stage to give higher thrust during the initial flight moments.

    The ISRO has five types of PSLV rockets — Standard, Core Alone, XL, DL, and QL. The major difference between them is the number of strap-on boosters used which, in turn, largely depends on the weight of the satellites to be orbited.

    The PSLV uses 6,4,2 solid rocket strap-on motors to augment the thrust provided by the first stage in PSLV-XL, QL & DL variants, respectively. However, strap-ons are not used in the core-alone version (PSLV-CA).

  • 25-hour countdown commences for ISRO’s first launch mission of 2022

    By PTI

    BENGALURU: The 25-hour countdown for the Indian Space Research Organisation’s first launch mission of 2022, to orbit earth observation satellite EOS-04 onboard PSLV-C52, began early on Sunday, the space agency said.

    The launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, which will also carry two small co-passenger satellites, is scheduled at 05:59 hours on Monday, from the First Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

    “PSLV-C52/EOS-04 Mission: The countdown process of 25 hours and 30 minutes leading to the launch has commenced at 04:29 hours today,” the city-headquartered ISRO said in a tweet.

    The launch vehicle is designed to orbit an earth observation satellite EOS-04, weighing 1,710 kg into a sun-synchronous polar orbit of 529 km.

    EOS-04 is a Radar Imaging Satellite designed to provide high-quality images under all weather conditions for applications such as Agriculture, Forestry and Plantations, Soil Moisture and Hydrology and Flood mapping.

    The mission will also carry two small satellites as co-passengers, including a student satellite (INSPIREsat-1) from the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) in association with the Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

    It is also contributed by NTU, Singapore and NCU, Taiwan.

    Two scientific payloads in this satellite are to improve the understanding of ionosphere dynamics and the sun’s coronal heating processes.

    The other is a technology demonstrator satellite (INS-2TD) from ISRO, which is a precursor to the India-Bhutan Joint Satellite (INS-2B).

    Having a thermal imaging camera as its payload, the satellite benefits the assessment of land surface temperature, water surface temperature of wetland or lakes, delineation of vegetation (crops and forest) and thermal inertia (day and night).

    This will be the 54th flight of PSLV and 23rd Mission using PSLV-XL configuration with 6 PSOM-XLs (strap-on motors).