{"id":39296,"date":"2015-07-10T18:02:44","date_gmt":"2015-07-10T10:02:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/indian-pslv-launches-five-british-satellites\/"},"modified":"2015-07-10T18:02:44","modified_gmt":"2015-07-10T10:02:44","slug":"indian-pslv-launches-five-british-satellites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/indian-pslv-launches-five-british-satellites\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian PSLV launches five British satellites"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) conducted its thirtieth flight on Friday evening local time, deploying five British satellites into a Sun-Synchronous orbit. Liftoff occurred at 21:58 local time (16:28 UTC) from the First Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.<\/p>\n

\nPSLV Launch:<\/p>\n

First flown in 1993, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, or PSLV, is by far India\u2019s most-used rocket for orbital missions \u2013 accounting for thirty of the country\u2019s 46 launches to date including Friday\u2019s.<\/p>\n

The workhorse of India\u2019s space program, the PSLV is on a run of twenty five consecutive successful launches, having achieved twenty seven successes overall. Friday\u2019s launch is being conducted by Antrix Corporation, the commercial branch of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).<\/p>\n

\"2015-07-10-122852\"The primary payload for Friday\u2019s mission was a trio of satellites which will join the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) in orbit.<\/p>\n

Forming a new generation of satellites in this series, the three DMC3 spacecraft were manufactured by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) for DMC International Imaging under a \u00a3110 million contract. China\u2019s Twenty First Century Aerospace Technology Company (21AT) will lease all three spacecraft under a seven-year arrangement providing finance for the program.<\/p>\n

Based around the SSTL-300 S1 satellite bus, each DMC3 satellite has a mass of 447 kilograms (985 lb). Equipped with a Very High Resolution Imager 100 (VHRI-100) payload the satellite is able to produce panchromatic images of the Earth at a resolution of up to one metre in a spectral band of 450 to 650 nanometres. Alternatively the instrument can produce multispectral images at a resolution of three to four metres.<\/p>\n

\"2015-07-10-122936\"The Disaster Monitoring Constellation is a British-led international fleet of small Earth imaging satellites which, while being used for commercial imaging, can provide data to assist with monitoring and managing natural and man-made disasters. All of the satellites in the constellation have been manufactured by SSTL.<\/p>\n

Rocket building kits<\/path>Space Shuttle<\/path>NASA mission patches<\/path>\n

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Deployment of the constellation began in November 2002 with the launch of Algeria\u2019s AlSat-1 atop a Kosmos-3M. Ten months later another Kosmos-3M deployed Britain\u2019s UK-DMC-1, Nigeria\u2019s NigeriaSat-1 and Turkey\u2019s BilSat-1 spacecraft. A third Kosmos-3M deployed China\u2019s first contribution to the program \u2013 the upgraded China DMC+4 \u2013 in 2005.<\/p>\n

An enhanced series of DMC satellites began to launch in 2009, with a Dnepr carrying UK-DMC-2 and Spain\u2019s Deimos-1 into orbit. The most recent launch, also using a Dnepr, occurred in August 2011 with Nigeria\u2019s NigeriaSat-2 and NX spacecraft. All of the spacecraft launched since 2005 remain in operation.<\/p>\n

Two technology demonstration satellites joined DMC3 for the journey into orbit. CBNT-1 is a 91-kilogram (201 lb) spacecraft which will be used by SSTL to demonstrate earth observation techniques, while DeorbitSail will investigate the use of a deployable sail to deorbit a satellite.<\/p>\n

\"2015-07-10-123009\"The DeorbitSail satellite; developed as part of a multinational program led by the University of Surrey; is a seven-kilogram (15 lb) three-unit CubeSat which will deploy a 4-metre (13-foot) square sail once in orbit.<\/p>\n

Providing an increased cross-sectional surface area of 16 square metres (172 square feet), the sail will significantly increase the drag generated as the satellite orbits within the thermosphere.<\/p>\n

All five satellites were manufactured by SSTL for British operators.<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s launch made use of the PSLV-XL configuration \u2013 the heaviest version of the PSLV currently flying. All of the rocket\u2019s configurations share the same core vehicle, with the boosters being configured differently for different payload masses and target orbits.<\/p>\n

\"PSLV\"The standard PSLV uses six PS0M strap-ons, powered by S-9 solid rocket motors; the smaller CA or Core Alone configuration flies without boosters and the heavier PSLV-XL makes use of six PS0M-XL units with S-12 solid motors.<\/p>\n

The rocket used for Friday\u2019s launch had the flight number PSLV C28, and flew from the First Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.<\/p>\n

The first stage of the core PSLV is a PS1, powered by a solid-fuelled S-138 motor. Igniting at the zero-second mark in the countdown, the stage was joined 0.42 seconds later by the first pair of boosters.<\/p>\n

\"2014-10-15Two more boosters lit two tenths of a second later, with the vehicle lifting off from its launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. Twenty five seconds after liftoff the final pair of booster rockets ignited.<\/p>\n

The first pair of boosters burned out and separate from the rocket 69.9 seconds into the flight, with the second pair of ground-lit solids following two tenths of a second later. The airlit motors continued to burn until the 92-second mark in the mission at which point they too were jettisoned.<\/p>\n

Burnout and separation of the first stage occurred one minute and 50.18 seconds after launch, with the vehicle at an altitude of 69 kilometres (43 miles) and travelling downrange at 2.1 kilometres per second (4,700 mph).<\/p>\n

\"2015-07-10-123140\"Two tenths of a second after stage separation, the PS2 second stage ignited to begin its 150.54-second burn. Powered by a Vikas engine \u2013 derived from France\u2019s Viking which powered the Ariane family of rockets between 1979 and 2004 \u2013 the liquid-propellant second stage burns UH-25 propellant, a mixture of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine and hydrazine hydrate, and dinitrogen tetroxide.<\/p>\n

Approximately 1.2 seconds after the conclusion of its burn, the spent second stage was jettisoned and the third stage began its burn. The solid-fuelled third stage consists of an S-7 motor which will fired for about 70 seconds. Following its extinction the third stage remained attached for a brief coast phase, lasting three minutes and five seconds.<\/p>\n

See Also<\/h4>\n