ISRO, the Indian Space Research Organization, has successfully placed two satellites into the orbit and hence marked its first successful mission this year. PSLV-C44 (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) lifted off with Microsat-R and Kalamsat satellites at 11:37 pm on Thursday from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
About 13 minutes into the flight, the fourth and final stage (PS4) of PSLV injected the primary satellite Microsat-R into the orbit around 277.2km up above and around 100 minutes after the lift-off, the fourth stage was revived again through solar panels and onboard batteries and at an altitude of 450km it began its role as an orbital platform after activating Kalamsat.
India has become the first country to use the fourth stage of a space rocket as an orbital platform to conduct space experiments. According to ISRO officials, the fourth stage will remain alive for the
PS4, the fourth and final stage of the rocket, has two liquid engines producing a thrust of 7.6kN each and is responsible for the correct injection of the payloads into their respective orbits. It is the smallest stage in terms of size measuring 2.5m in height and 1.3m in diameter and carries 1.6 tonne propellant.
ISRO, this time, lifted off a 44.4-meter tall modified variant of PSLV called PSLV-DL featuring two strap-on motors instead of the usual six strap-on motors each carrying 12.2-tonnes of solid propellant. It was the first flight of PSLV-DL and 46th flight of PSLV.
Microsat-R, developed by DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization), is an imaging satellite designed for defense research weighing 740kgs and will be used for capturing high-resolution images of earth. There were two military-dedicated satellites orbiting earth- GSAT-7 and GSAT-7A and now Microsat-R has joined the force.
On the other hand, Kalamsat is a 10cm CubeSat weighing 1.2kg, built by a team of students and Chennai-based Space Kidz India. The nano-satellite is named after former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam and is India’s lightest and smallest satellite with a two-month lifespan. The 3D-printed communication satellite is made of space grade aluminum and built at a cost of Rs. 12 lakh.
ISRO launched Kalamsat for free. ISRO chairman K Sivan congratulated students and said: “For the first time the PS4 will be revived for students to do experiments.” He also has a message for all the students across the nation- “ISRO is open to all students of India. Bring to us your satellites and we will launch it for you. Let’s make India into a science-fairing nation.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated scientists as well as students who developed the CubeSat: “Heartiest congratulations to our space scientists for yet another successful launch of PSLV. This launch has put in orbit Kalamsat, built by India’s talented students.”
