CHENNAI, Oct 8:
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will sign off the year 2016 with a PSLV mission and the more challenging and landmark GSLV-MkIII mission, using the indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS), in the next two months, Dr P Kunhikrishnan, Director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), SHAR, Sriharikota, said today.
Talking to UNI after participating in the World Space Week-2016 celebrations organised by the Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Centre, in association with SDSC and ISRO, here, he said the next mission would be PSLV-C36 towards the end of November, which would be followed by the launch of heavier rocket GSLV-MkIII by the end of this year.
In its 38th flight, PSLV, the workhorse launch vehicle of ISRO with 36 successive successful launches, would put in orbit the remote sensing satellite RESOURCESAT-2. ”The PSLV mission will take place by November end and it will also carry some passenger payloads from other countries, though the main satellite will be RESOURCESAT-2”, Dr Kunhikrishnan said.
With already a record six launches in 2016–five PSLV missions and a GSLV mission from the SHAR Range–ISRO would be ending the year with a total of eight launches, which would be double–again a first for ISRO, when compared to four launches in 2015.
The PSLV-C36 mission comes in the backdrop of ISRO successfully demonstrating its multiple burnt technology, when PSLV-C35 in a precise mission on September 26 had injected SCATSAT-1 and seven other satellites in two different orbits for the first time.
It was one of the longest mission for ISRO as the first orbit was achieved about 17 minutes after lift off when SCATSAT-1 was injected and the second orbit about two hours later when the fourth stage engine was switched off and restarted twice after which the remaining seven satellites were placed in a different orbit.
Dr Kunhikrishnan said after the PSLV-C36 mission, ISRO would be launching the GSLV-MkIII in December end, which would be putting the 3.3 tonne satellite GSAT-19E, the heaveist payload thus far to be launched from the Indian spaceport, in the orbit.
”The preparations of various stages of GSLV-MkIII are on in full swing. The first stage, comprising solid boosters, are ready and the integration the stage with the rocket has already started”, he added.
The second stage–liquid stage–is also ready. Developmental activities in respect of the CUS (third stage) are in final phase”, Dr Kunhikrishnan said, adding, ”we will be starting the mock trials shortly”. ”The launch will be by the end of this year”, he said.
To a question, he said the GSAT-18 launched by the Ariane rocket from Kourou in French Guiana, weighed 3.4 tonnes.
”At present we did not have the capacity to launch such heavier satellites. Once the developmental flight of the GSLV-MKIII is ready, we will be able to launch heavier satellites from Sriharikota itself”, he added.
Earlier, speaking at the World Space Week (WSW), which has the theme ‘Remote sensing : Enabling our future’, the SDSC Director said so far 56 launch missions has been completed from Sriharikota and the workhorse launch vehicle, PSLV, has launched 79 foreign satellites so far.
Stating that the WSW marked the international celebration of science and technology, he said the UN General Assembly had in 1999, declared that the WSW would be held each year from October four to ten to commemorate two events–launch of the first human-made earth satellite Sputnik-1 by the erstwhile USSR on October four, 1957 and the signing of the Treaty on Principles Governing the activities of the states in the exploration and peaceful uses of Outer Space on October 10, 1967.
As part of the WSW, quiz programmes, project exhibitions, elocution and drawing competitions were held and more than 500 students from various schools participated in these events.
Dr Kunhikrishnan also inaugurated an exhibition depicting the past, present and future programmes of ISRO. (UNI)
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