ISRO launches 31 satellites, along with Cartosat-2 in its 100th rocket lift off
Hyderabad : The Indian Space Research Organisation ( ISRO) launched its 100th satellite on January 12 (Friday). India successfully launched a polar rocket with 31 satellites, including three Indian and 28 of six other nations from its spaceport at Sriharikota.
The 44.4-metre tall Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C40) roared into a clear sky after a perfect lift-off at 9.29 a.m. after a 28-hour countdown.
The 320-tonne rocket will eject the satellites one-by-one and deploy them into the earth's lower orbit about 17 minutes and 18 seconds after the lift-off.
This is the longest flight of the four-stage Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), at two hours, 21 minutes and 62 seconds.
The mission is also 42nd flight that has been lifted from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
Seventeen minutes after lift-off, the indigenous 710kg Cartosat-2 series satellite placed the 505-km polar sun synchronous orbit and an hour after the Cartosat-2 series satellite goes into its orbit, the microsat satellite will be placed in a lower 359-km orbit. Between these two orbits, the engine of the PSLV's fourth stage has been re-activated twice.