PSLV launch successful, satellites injected into orbit

[Virendra]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1711767.ece


India's PSLV—C16 rocket today successfully launched into orbit the latest remote sensing satellite Resourcesat—2 that would study and help manage natural resources along with two nano satellites.

ISRO's homegrown workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle placed in a 'Polar Sun Synchronous Orbit' Resourcesat-2, Youthsat and X-Sat about 18 minutes after it blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre launch pad here, 90 km from Chennai, at 10.12 am.

"PSLV-C16 Resourcesat-2 mission is successful," a jubilant Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman K Radhakrishnan announced shortly after all the three satellites were hurled into space one after another 822 km above earth in a text book launch.

The ISRO chief's announcement was cheered by the battery of scientists at the mission control centre who heaved a sigh of relief as they were gripped by an added anxiety following two successive failures of GSLV missions last year.

The 1,206 kg Resourcesat-2 with a space life of five years replaces Resourcesat-1 launched in 2003 and would provide data with enhanced multispectral and spatial coverage on natural resources.

The GSLV mission in December last year failed when the homegrown GSLV F06 carrying communication satellite GSAT-5P exploded mid-air less than a minute after lift-off and fell into the Bay of Bengal.

GSAT-5P, carrying 24 C-band and 12 extended C-band transponders, plunged into the sea when the destruct command was issued as the rocket veered from its flight path.

Earlier, the GSLV-D3 mission carrying GSAT-4 had also failed in April 2010, dealing a blow to India's space programme.

Today's PSLV flight was its 17th successive mission after the failure of its maiden voyage in September 1993.

:balle:

Regards,
Virendra

 

[lambu]

ISRO has success in PSLV launch since many years .we badly need GSLV success. hope we see that also soon.

 

[Patriot]

Why UPA Chairperson Sonia is being congratulated& praised for during ISRO press confrence?? Whenever or wherever PMO is involved UPA Sonia is mentioned or praised. This is seer disgust to our scientists' efforts. God save this country. Mr. Natrajan acting like a sycophant buttering coterie.

This shameful democracy.

 

[Virendra]

Those who want to play politics will always do it whatever be the case. They have tasted blood and will never leave this habit till death comes to them.
Lets hope ISRO fights back well after the major loss of cryo engine last year. There are uncertainities over next GSLV launches due to it, we may have to ask Russians for help.


Regards,
Virendra

 

[karna]

Does the launch of resource sat have any strategic implications? Can it be used as a spy satellite?

 

[Virendra]

There are whispers for some of the satellite series that they're used for military purposes but I haven't heard of India's full fledged spy satellite yet or even Resource sat being used for that purpose. The present satellites may have been occasionally used with limited utility though - but then obviously it were under wraps.
Now that India could be more expressive of its ambitions and can resist pressure, there is one program under progress which is expected to complete by 2014 and it will be our first openly declared spy satellite (joint venture of DRDO and ISRO).
Providing military recon via satellites has been a pending goal for India since early 90s when ISRO was black listed by US.


Regards,
Virendra

 

[niharjhatn]

Its great that the ISRO + DRDO get their confidence back and know that they can succeed with the GSLV. It will help bring public confidence back as well!

 

[SHASH2K2]

Three satellites in good health


The three satellites put in orbit on Wednesday by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C16) are "absolutely fine," officials of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Thursday.The Resourcesat-2, the Youthsat and the X-Sat were in good health and working satisfactorily, they said.

The Resourcesat-2, an advanced remote-sensing satellite, will replace the Resourcesat-1, which was put in orbit in October 2003. The Resourcesat-2 has been fitted with three sophisticated cameras, and the first images of the earth are expected on April 28. Though the Resourcesat-1"²s life was five years, it was still sending pictures of the earth.
The images from the Resourcesat-2 will be useful in estimating the acreage of crops and the stress they are under, keeping a surveillance on pests, locating groundwater, identifying schools of fish in the sea, predicting the advance of glaciers, monitoring water bodies and keeping a watch on deforestation or changes in the rural and urban landscape.
They can also be used for estimating the salinity or acidic conditions of the soil owing to the excessive use of fertilizer, and for disaster management, mapping wetlands and categorising wasteland.
The Resourcesat-2 also carries a payload from Canada, which receives signals from ships and provides information about their location and speed. The estimated life of the satellite is five years, and its images will be used by more than 15 countries.
The Youthsat has three payloads — one from Moscow University and two from ISRO. Together, they will help in investigating the relationship between activities in the sun and the thermosphere-ionosphere above the earth. The X-Sat of the Nangyang Technological University of Singapore is an earth-viewing satellite.
The Resourcesat-2 is India's 18th remote-sensing satellite. A series of Indian Remote-sensing Satellites (IRS) have been put in orbit, beginning with IRS-1A in March 1988.
"The imaging systems in the IRS series have demonstrated India's technological leadership at the global level in observing the entire earth," an ISRO official said.
The nine IRS in service now are the Technology Experiment Satellite, the Resourcesat-2, the Cartosat-1, 2, 2A and 2B, the Indian Mini Satellite-1, the Radar Imaging Satellite-2 and the Oceansat-2.
They make the IRS system the largest civilian remote-sensing satellite constellation in the world.

 

[ganesh177]

ISRO has put the blame of gslv mission fail on loose weak part from russia.

 

[rahulrds1]

Resourcesat-2, Youthsat, X-Sat functioning satisfactorily

Source: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Resourcesat_2_Youthsat_X_Sat_functioning_satisfactorily_999.html

The country's latest remote sensing satellite Resourcesat-2 and two micro satellites launched by home grown PSLV-C16 rocket on April 20 from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh ''are functioning satisfactorily'', ISRO said.

"All three satellites were placed in the targeted orbits with high precision," the Indian Space Research Organisation said in a statement here.

In its 17th consecutive successful flight, PSLV-C16 injected Resourcesat-2, Youthsat and X-sat (of Nanyang Technical University, Singapore) into polar sun synchronus orbit on Wednesday last.

With the precise injection of Resourcesat-2, about 20 kg of fuel allocated for the probable dispersions in injection was saved which would help enhance the five year operational life of the satellite, it said.

Immediately after injection of Resourcesat 2, its two solar panels were deployed and three Imaging Cameras oriented towards Earth, it said.

Orbital trimming manoeuvre was conducted successfully on April 22 and Resourcesat-2 is now placed in the final orbital configuration in a sun-synchronous polar orbit.

Operation of the Imaging cameras is scheduled to commence on April 28, the statement said.

The first imaging pass on April 28 is expected to cover about 3000 km stretch of Indian land mass from Joshimut in Uttarakhand to Kannur in Kerala.

The statement said the health of Youthsat is normal. Control and command operations for Resourcesat-2 and Youthsat satellites are being carried out from ISRO's Telemetry Tracking and Command Network Centre (ISTRAC) at Bangalore, connected to a network of ground stations at Lucknow, Mauritius, Biak (Indonesia), Svalbard (North Pole) and Troll (South Pole).

The Earth Station of National Remote Sensing Centre at Shadnagar (near Hyderabad) has been geared up for Resourcesat-2 data reception on April 28.

Payload data from Youthsat is being processed at the Indian Space Science Data Centre at Bylalu, (near Bangalore).

A report by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore stated that the health of X Sat and performance of various on-board sub-systems are normal.