SRIHARIKOTA, June 20: The 48-hour countdown for the June 22 launch of PSLV-C34, one of the biggest ever launches of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with a huge haul of 20 satellites being hurled into space was progressing smoothly.
The Countdown began at 0926 hrs today at the Satish Dhawan Spaceport of ISRO here.
Apart from Cartosat the major payload, 19 other satellites from different countries, including the United States will be released sequentially in a clocklike precision.
The launch also would see performance of two other experiments. This include reigniting of the engine of the launch vehicle for five seconds, 50 minutes after the satellite are put in the intended orbit, ISRO sources said here.
Yesterday, ISRO’S Mission Readiness Review (MRR) Committee and Launch Authorisation Board (LAB) had cleared the 48 hour countdown to begin today and the launch of PSLV-C34/Cartosat-2 Series Satellite Mission for June 22.
The complex manoeuvre of reigniting the engine will help ISRO put multiple satellites into different orbits using the same rocket.
This launch will put ISRO’s SCATSAT-1 meant for forecasting weather and cyclone detection and a foreign satellite in two different orbits.
On June 22, PSLV-C34 fourth stage engine will come to life again after eight minutes of liftoff at an altitude of 514 km. The engine would be cut off 16 minutes and 30 seconds after the lift-off. over next 10 minutes, 20 satellites will be injected into the same orbit from the fourth stage, one after another, an ISRO official said.
So far the record had been PSLV-C9 deploying 10 satellites, but in the same orbit during 2008.
While the primary load of Cartosat weigh 727.5 kg and would be the first to be hurled into the space, 19 other satellites together weighting 560 kg would be injected sequentially with the final release being that of 12 Dove satellites of the United States.
Besides US, Satellites from Canada (M3MSAT and GHGSAT),LAPANA-3 of Indonesia, BIROS of Germany would be the other payload stored in three tier platform.
Two micro satellites from Indian universities would also ride piggybank.
ISRO said Mono Methyl Hydrazine (MMH) filling operation of Fourth stage (PS4) of PSLV-C34 has been completed by 12:06 hrs (IST) and Preparations for filling of Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen (MON-3) of PS4 were under progress. (UNI)
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