The
50-hour countdown for the September 28 launch of PSLV-C30 carrying ASTROSAT
satellite for the first dedicated Indian astronomy mission aimed at studying
celestial objects has begun, ISRO said. The countdown activity of
PSLV-C30/ASTROSAT Mission started at 8 am on Saturday, ISRO said.
PSLV-C30
carrying ASTROSAT along with six other co-passengers, one satellite each from
Indonesia and Canada, and four nano satellites from the US is scheduled for
launch on September 28,2015(Monday) at 10 am from the space port of Sriharikota in Andhra
Pradesh.
Mission
Readiness Review (MRR) committee and Launch Authorisation Board (LAB) that met
on Friday had cleared the launch of PSLV-C30.
Commenting
on the launch, ISRO Chairman AS Kiran Kumar had recently said, "What it
means for India is this: it is one of the first scientific missions which will
be available to the Indian researcher community as an observation opportunity.
This is a
starting point for such things." ASTROSAT is India's first dedicated
multi-wavelength space observatory. This scientific satellite mission endeavors
for a more detailed understanding of our universe.
India
will cross the half-century milestone on Monday once it successfully injects
the six foreign satellites into their intended orbit. India has so far launched
45 foreign satellites for a fee.
In
2008, ISRO had launched 10 satellites in one go including India’s Cartosate-2A satellite.
Now, ISRO will be launching seven satellites for the third time in its history.
The PSLV
will carry a total payload of 1,631 kg during this mission. Just over 22
minutes into the flight, the rocket will eject ASTROSAT at an altitude of 650
kms above the earth. Soon after, six other satellites will be put into orbit
and the whole mission will come to an end in just over 25 minutes. ASTROSAT,
with a life span of five years, will observe the universe through optical,
ultraviolet, low and high energy X-ray components of the electromagnetic
spectrum, whereas most other scientific satellites are capable of observing
through a narrow wavelength band, the agency said.
The
Indonesian 76 kg LAPAN-A2 is a micro-satellite from the National Institute of
Aeronautics and Space, meant for providing maritime surveillance using
automatic identification system (AIS), supporting Indonesian radio amateur
communities for disaster mitigation and carrying out earth surveillance using
video and digital camera.
The 14-kg
NLS-14 (Ev9) of Space Flight Laboratory, University of Toronto Institute for
Advanced Studies, is also a maritime monitoring Canadian nano satellite using
the next generation AIS. The remaining four LEMUR nano satellites from Spire
Global Inc., San Francisco, US, are non-visual remote sensing satellites,
focusing primarily on global maritime intelligence through vessel tracking via
AIS and high fidelity weather forecasting using GPS radio occultation
technology, the ISRO said.
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