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<\/p>\nThe Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO, has launched their second mission of 2020 using their workhorse rocket: the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, or PSLV. <\/p>\n
The mission carried the CMS-01 replacement communications satellite to orbit on Thursday, 17 December at 10:11 UTC, or 05:11 EST. The launch occurred locally at 15:41 IST (Indian Standard Time) from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India\u2019s east coast.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The flight was only the second \u2014 and last \u2014 from India this year as the country continues to grapple with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has seen a slew of launches delayed for personnel protection.<\/p>\n
As with the previous flight in November, the PSLV rocket launched a single primary passenger: the CMS-01 communications satellite, previously named GSAT-12R.<\/p>\n
The mission marked the 52nd flight of the PSLV rocket, which took CMS-01 into a Geostationary Transfer Orbit, or GTO.<\/p>\n
In order to lift the payload to its designated orbit, the PSLV rocket flew in its \u201cXL\u201d variant, which consisted of six side-mounted boosters \u2014 the maximum possible for the PSLV.<\/p>\n
This was the 22nd launch of the PSLV in the \u201cXL\u201d configuration, the 77th mission to launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, and the 42nd communications satellite for India.<\/p>\n
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GSAT-12, which CMS-01 is replacing and is reported to be closely related to, seen prior its launch in 2011. (Credit: ISRO\/Arianespace)<\/p>\n
CMS-01, once deployed to its full Geostationary orbit, or GEO, will provide Extended-C Band coverage for the Indian mainland as well as the Andaman-Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands. The C Band ranges from 4.0 to 8.0 gigahertz and is commonly used in cordless phones, wi-fi devices, satellite communication, and surveillance and weather radar.<\/p>\n
ISRO has not released many details about the satellite; however, it is a replacement for the aging GSAT-12 platform which launched on 15 July 2011 and was supposed to serve for seven years.<\/p>\n
Over nine years later, its replacement has now launched. GSAT-12 itself was a replacement for INSAT-3B.<\/p>\n
CMS-01 is reported to have similar features to GSAT-12, with a mass of 1,410 kilograms built around an I-1K satellite bus with two deployable solar arrays capable of 1500 W power generation.<\/p>\n
The satellite will take up position at the 83\u00b0 East GEO location, directly above the Indian Ocean.<\/p>\n
Launch<\/p>\n
The CMS-01 mission lifted off from the same launch pad that its predecessor, GSAT-12, launched from.<\/p>\n
The rocket and payload were rolled out from their vertical integration facility to the Second Launch Pad on 14 December for final launch preparations.<\/p>\n
After arriving at the launch pad, crews connected the rocket\u2019s mobile launch stand to its ground support equipment for purge and fuel operations as well as electrical\/data connections for personnel at the launch and mission control center.<\/p>\n