PSLV-C34 Successfully Launches 20 Satellites in a Single Flight

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[font=Georgia,]In one go, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday launched 20 satellites. They include two student satellites from Indian universities and 17 of four foreign countries.[/font]

[font=Georgia,]A PSLV C-34 rocket lifted off at 9.25 a.m. from the Second Launch Pad in the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, and 16 minutes later placed a Cartosat-2 Series satellite about 505 km above the Earth's orbit. In the next 10 minutes, the remaining satellites were placed in the intended orbits.[/font]
[font=Georgia,]Soon after the launch, ISRO chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar said, "With this mission, we have launched the current generation Earth observation satellite along with 17 satellites from foreign countries."[/font]


[font=Georgia,]
2pslv-c34takeoff-view2.jpg
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The 725.5 kg Cartosat-2 would be used for Earth observation. According to ISRO, the imagery sent by the satellite will be useful for cartographic applications, urban and rural applications, coastal land use and regulation and utility management like road networking.

[font=Georgia,]It may be recalled that ISRO, in 2008, launched 10 satellites in a single rocket. On April 28, 2008, PSLV-C9 launched a Remote Sensing satellite CARTOSAT-2A along with Indian Mini Satellite (IMS-1) and eight nanosatellites.[/font]
[font=Georgia,][font=Georgia,]In 2014, Russia launched 37 satellites in a single mission.[/font][/font]

[font=Georgia,][font=Georgia,]source: At a stroke, PSLV C-34 lobs 20 satellites into orbit[/font][/font]


With today’s successful launch, the total number of satellites launched by India’s workhorse launch vehicle PSLV has reached 113, of which 39 are Indian and the remaining 74 from abroad.

The total weight of all the 20 satellites carried on-board PSLV-C34 was 1288 kg.

[font=Georgia,][font=Georgia,][font=Georgia,]PSLV performs tricky experiments[/font][/font][/font]

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C34), which will lift off at 9.25 a.m. on June 22 from Sriharikota, is an important mission for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

[font=Georgia,]The vehicle will not only put 20 satellites into the same orbit — the highest number of satellites to be put into orbit by a PSLV — but it will perform two tricky experiments of the same nature. Fifty minutes after the satellites are injected into the orbit from the fourth stage of the vehicle, its engine will be re-ignited for five seconds. Then it will be shut down for 50 minutes and re-ignited for another five seconds, according to K. Sivan, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram.[/font]

On December 16, 2015, after the PSLV-C29’s fourth stage put six Singapore satellites into the same orbit, the ISRO re-started the fourth-stage engine for four seconds. At that time, Dr. Sivan called it a “small experiment” to master the manoeuvre of putting multiple satellites into different orbits with the same vehicle.

On June 22, eight minutes after the PSLV-C34 lifts off, the fourth stage engine will sizzle into life, taking the stage to an altitude of 514 km. The fourth stage engine will be cut off 16 minutes and 30 seconds after the lift-off. Over the next 10 minutes, 20 satellites will be injected into the same orbit from the fourth stage, one after another.

source : PSLV-C34 with 20 satellites all set for new experiments - The Hindu
 
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