After two successive failures of the GSLV mission last year India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV_C16) has placed successfully a remote sensing satellite,Resourcesat-2 into orbit on Wednesday.The latest satellite will study and help in managing natural resources along with two nano satellites.
ISRO’s (Indian Space Research Organization) homegrown workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle placed in a ‘Polar Sun Synchronous Orbit’ Resourcesat-2, Youthsat and X-Sat about 18 minutes after it blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre launch pad here, 90 km from Chennai, at 10.12 am.
A beaming ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan described the “PSLV-C16 Resourcesat-2 mission is successful”.
With the GSLV’s failure still fresh in the mind it was an anxious moment for the scientists at the mission control before the launch of the PSLV_C16. The announcement by the ISRO chief about the successful launch received loud cheers from the battery of scientists present there.
The 1,206 kg Resourcesat-2 has a space life of five years and it takes the place of Resourcesat-1 which was put in the orbit in 2003.The satellite is supposed to provide data with enhanced multispectral and spatial coverage on natural resources.
In December last year the GSLV mission failed when the indigenously developed GSLV F06 carrying communication satellite GSAT-5P exploded mid-air less than a minute after lift-off and fell into the Bay of Bengal.
The satellite was carrying 24 C-band and 12 extended C-band transponders, it plunged into the sea when the destruct command was issued as the rocket veered from its flight path.
Similar failure had struck the the GSLV-D3 mission carrying GSAT-4 in April 2010.
In 1993 for the first time PSLV was attempted to be launched but that maiden venture failed. Today’s PSLV flight is the 17th successive mission in the last 18 years.