ISRO successfully orbits 3 satellites in its first launch mission

Sriharikota (AP), Feb. 14 (PTI): Marking the first launch mission of the year 2022, Indian Space Research Organisation’s earth observation satellite EOS-04 and two small satellites were successfully placed into the intended orbit by the PSLV-C52 rocket on Monday, a feat described by the ISRO as a “marvellous accomplishment”.

Following a smooth countdown of 25 hrs 30 minutes, the space agency’s workhorse launch vehicle, PSLV, placed the three satellites into the intended orbit, after blasting off at 5.59 AM from here amid dark, early morning skies, drawing instant cheers and applause from the scientists who were closely monitoring the year’s maiden mission.

Announcing the successful launch, ISRO said the important flight events, namely, stage and strap-on ignitions, heat shield separation, stages and strap-on separation and satellite injection took place exactly as planned.

Incidentally, today’s launch also happens to be the first mission after Somanath took over as the Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, Space Commission, recently.

Thanking everyone for making the mission possible, he said, “this spacecraft is going to be one of the biggest assets for us to serve the country.”

Mission Director S R Biju said “what we have accomplished today is really marvellous.”

EOS-04, weighing 1,710 kg and with a mission life of ten years, is a Radar Imaging Satellite designed to provide high quality images under all weather conditions for applications such as Agriculture, Forestry and Plantations, Soil Moisture and Hydrology and Flood mapping.

INSPIREsat-1 is from Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) in association with Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics at University of Colorado Boulder, while INS-2TD is a technology demonstrator satellite from ISRO. This is a precursor to the India-Bhutan Joint Satellite (INS-2B).

INS-2TD, with a mass of 17.5 kg, has a mission life of six months.

Having a thermal imaging camera as its payload, the satellite benefits the assessment of land surface temperature, water surface temperature of wetland or lakes, delineation of vegetation (crops and forest) and thermal inertia (day and night).