PSLV Successfully Launches CARTOSAT-1 and HAMSAT

PSLV Successfully Launches CARTOSAT-1 and HAMSAT
May 5, 2005

In its ninth flight conducted from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR,
Sriharikota, today (May 05, 2005), ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle,
PSLV-C6, successfully launched the 1560 kg Indian Remote Sensing satellite,
CARTOSAT-1, and the 42.5 kg HAMSAT into a 632 x 621 km high polar orbit.
This is the highest payload weight that PSLV has launched so far.
President of India, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, witnessed the launch from the
Mission Control Centre. Last evening Dr Abdul Kalam had dedicated to the
nation, the newly established Second Launch Pad at SDSC SHAR and for the
first time, this state-of-the-art Second Launch Pad (SLP) was used for the
launch of PSLV. SLP successfully supported the launch mission in the
integrate-transfer-and-launch concept. After its integration in the Vehicle
Assembly Building, PSLV-C6 was transported on rails to the Umbilical Tower
(UT) located one km away using the Mobile Launch Pedestal. Final operations
like fuel filling, gas charging and vehicle check out were carried out in
the last few days at the UT.
At the end final count down, PSLV-C6 lifted off from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota
at 10:15 am IST with the ignition of the core first stage and four of the
six strap-on motors. The remaining two strap-on motors were ignited at 25
sec after lift-off. The important flight events included the separation of
the ground-lit strap-on motors, separation of air-lit strap-on motors and
the first stage, ignition of the second stage, separation of the payload
fairing after the vehicle had cleared the dense atmosphere, second stage
separation, third stage ignition, third stage separation, fourth stage
ignition and fourth stage cut-off. After these events, CARTOSAT-1 was
successfully separated from the fourth stage 1078 seconds after lift off. 40
seconds later HAMSAT was also separated from the fourth-stage equipment bay.
Both the satellites have been placed in polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO) at
an altitude of 632 x 621 km with an inclination of 97.8 deg with respect to
the equator. The solar panels of CARTOSAT-1 were deployed soon after its
injection into orbit.
PSLV was designed and developed by ISRO to place 1,000 kg class Indian
Remote Sensing satellites into polar Sun-synchronous Orbit (SSO). Since its
first successful flight in October 1994, the capability of PSLV has been
enhanced from 850 kg to the present 1,600 kg into 618 km Sun Synchronous
Orbit. PSLV has also demonstrated multiple satellite launch capability.
In its present configuration, the 44.4 metre tall, 294 tonne PSLV has four
stages using solid and liquid propulsion systems alternately. The first
stage is one of the largest solid propellant boosters in the world and
carries 138 tonne of Hydroxyl Terminated Poly Butadiene (HTPB) based
propellant. The booster develops a maximum thrust of about 4,762 kN. Six
strap-on motors, each carrying nine tonne of solid propellant produces 645
kN thrust.
The second stage employs indigenously built Vikas engine and carries 41.5
tonne of liquid propellant -- UH25 as fuel and Nitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) as
oxidiser. It generates a maximum thrust of about 800 kN. The third stage
uses 7.6 tonne of HTPB-based solid propellant and produces a maximum thrust
of 246 kN. The fourth and the terminal stage of PSLV has a twin engine
configuration using liquid propellant. With a propellant loading of 2.5
tonne (Mono-methyl hydrazine and Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen), each of these
engines generates a maximum thrust of 7.3 kN.
The 3.2 m diameter metallic bulbous payload fairing of PSLV protects the
spacecraft during the atmospheric regime of the flight.
With eight consecutively successful launches, PSLV has proved itself as a
reliable vehicle for launching Indian remote sensing satellites. PSLV is
already slated to be used for India's first unmanned mission to moon,
Chandrayaan-1.
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, designed and
developed PSLV. ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) at Thiruvananthapuram
developed the inertial systems. The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC),
also at Thiruvananthapuram, developed the liquid propulsion stages for the
second and fourth stages of PSLV as well as reaction control systems. SDSC
SHAR processed the solid motors and carried out launch operations. ISRO
Telemetry, Tracking and Command (ISTRAC) provided telemetry, tracking and
command support.
CARTOSAT-1: CARTOSAT-1 is the eleventh satellite in the Indian remote
sensing satellite series. It is intended for cartographic applications. It
carries two panchromatic cameras that take black-and-white stereoscopic
pictures in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The
imageries will have a spatial resolution of 2.5 metre and cover a swath of
30 km. The imageries will be useful for generating digital elevation maps
for urban and rural development, land and water resources management,
disaster assessment, relief planning and management and environmental impact
assessment. CARTOSAT-1 also carries a Solid State Recorder with a capacity
of 120 Giga Bits to store the images taken by its cameras.
Soon after its injection into orbit, the two solar panels of CARTOSAT-1 were
deployed. The satellite health is being continuously monitored from the
Spacecraft Control Centre of ISTRAC at Bangalore with the help of its
network of stations at Bangalore, Lucknow, Mauritius, Bearslake in Russia
and Biak in Indonesia. Further operations on the satellite like, checking
out the various subsystems,, switching on the cameras, and, finally, orbit
trimming will be carried out in the coming days.
With ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), Bangalore, as the lead Centre, CARTOSAT-1
was realised with major contributions from Space Applications Centre (SAC),
Ahmedabad, LPSC at Bangalore, and IISU, Thiruvananthapuram. ISTRAC is
responsible for initial and in-orbit operation of CARTOSAT-1. The National
Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), Hyderabad receives and processes the data from
CARTOSAT-1.
HAMSAT: HAMSAT is a Micro-satellite for providing satellite based Amateur
Radio services to the national as well as the international community of
Amateur Radio Operators (HAM). It will meet the long felt need of the
Amateur Radio Operators in the South Asian region who possess the required
equipment and operate in the UHF/VHF band based Satellite Radio
Communication. One of the transponders of HAMSAT has been developed
indigenously involving Indian Amateurs, with the expertise of ISRO and the
experience of AMSAT-INDIA. The second transponder has been developed by a
Dutch Amateur Radio Operator and Graduate Engineering student at Higher
Technical Institute, Venlo, The Netherlands.
HAMSAT is India's contribution to the international community of Amateur
Radio Operators. This effort is also meant to bring ISRO's Satellite
services within the reach of the common man and popularise Space Technology
among the masses.
With the successful launch of CARTOSAT-1 and HAMSAT today, PSLV has
reiterated its reliability and versatility for launching satellites of
different weight classes precisely into specified orbits.


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Jacques :-)

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