Ticktock starts for #PSLVC44 to create a historical moment pushing Military satellite into orbit

NewsBharati    24-Jan-2019
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Sriharikota, Jan 24: Another achievement by ISRO is waiting for creating the history. The countdown for the 46th flight of ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV C 44 began at the Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. This countdown started at 7:37 pm on Wednesday.

 

The rocket will lift off from a first launch pad in Sriharikota at 11:37 pm today. This will launch two payloads-an imaging satellite Microsat- R and Kalamsat in Sun Synchronous orbit.

Kalamsat is the world's lightest satellite weighing a mere 64 grams and is named after former Indian president Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. The satellite is designed and developed not by professional space scientists and engineers, but by 18-year-old Tamil Nadu student Rifath Sharook and his team.

 

According to ISRO’s official statement, Mission readiness review committee and Launch Authorization Board cleared the 28 -hours countdown activity. As per information obtained from different sources, Microsat-R and its payload come assembled from a handful of laboratories of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and is meant for military use. The satellite was “assembled outside and ISRO only interfaced it” with its own systems and the launch vehicle, just as it treats any customer satellite.

PSLV is on its 46th flight and 36th from the first launch pad at the spaceport of Sriharikota. This rocket will shoot up 740 kg Microsat-R and Kalamsat in 277 km orbit.

This is the first time, ISRO is demonstrating technology where stage four of the rocket will review to help students’ satellite Kalamsat to conduct experiments and send data to the ground station.

PSLV-C 44 is the first mission with new variant PSLV-DL with two strap-ons, each carrying 12.2 tonnes propellant.