While you were sipping tea and were busy gorging on evening snacks, ISRO has launched another rocket dubbed PSLV-C48 at 3:25 PM today from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
The rocket included India's fourth radar imagining earth observation satellite (dubbed RISAT-2BR1), along with nine other foreign satellites from Japan, Italy, Israel and the US.
However, today's launch is a massive milestone for ISRO as it marks the 50th flight of PSLV -- 48th successful flight since the first time it blasted off into space in 1994.
16 minutes after being shot into space, the PSLV ejected RISAT-2BR1 into a 576 kilometre orbit. Five minutes after that, it ejected the nine foreign satellites one after another.
RISAT-2BR1 is a radar imaging earth observation satellite that can capture faster and clearer images than the previous variants.?The satellite is helpful in various fields including forestry, agriculture and disaster management support.??RISAT-2BR1 can also function in tandem with Cartosat-3, (the remote sensing satellite which was recently launched last month) for military reconnaissance.
ISRO Chairman K Sivan said in a statement, "I am extremely happy to declare that PSLV's 50th flight successfully injected RISAT-2BR1 in a 576km orbit. Along with the 50th flight, this mission has another milestone: It is the 75th launch from Sriharikota.¡±
¡°The versatile vehicle has so far carried 52.7tonne payload in which 17% mass were customer satellites,"
Commenting on its capability and the orbits PSLV has covered in the past, he further stated,?"It has launched satellites into low earth orbit, polar orbit and GTO (geosynchronous transfer orbit) and has sent satellite to Moon and Mars. Now, we will send satellite to Sun," he added.
ISRO plans to make 50 more flights in the next five years.