ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C52 on Monday successfully injected Earth Observation Satellite EOS-04, into an intended sun-synchronous polar orbit of 529 km altitude. It was launched at 06:17 am from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR, Sriharikota.
PSLV lifted off at 05:59 am from the first launch pad at SHAR. This was the 80th launch vehicle mission from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota; 54th flight of PSLV; and the 23rd flight of PSLV in XL configuration (6 strap-on motors).
The satellite EOS-04 was realised at UR Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru. It is a Radar Imaging Satellite designed to provide high-quality images under all weather conditions for applications such as agriculture, forestry & plantations, soil moisture & hydrology and flood mapping. Weighing about 1,710 kg, it generates 2,280 W power and has a mission life of ten years.
The vehicle also placed two small satellites a student satellite (INSPIREsat-1) from the Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology in association with the Laboratory of Atmospheric & Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder and a technology demonstrator satellite (INS-2TD) from ISRO, which is a precursor to India-Bhutan Joint Satellite (INS-2B). Co-passenger satellites were successfully separated from the PSLV in a predetermined sequence.
ISRO Chairman S Somanath congratulated team ISRO for the precision with which the mission was accomplished, says a release from ISRO.