File photo
AMN / Sriharikota (AP)
The 28-hour countdown for the launch of the PSLV C40 rocket is progressing smoothly in the national space station at Sriharikota. The countdown process started this morning at 5.29 hours at its first launch pad. The Indian Space Research Organization will launch “Cartosat-2 Series” satellite meant for earth observation along with 30 other smaller co-passenger satellites into space loaded on PSLV tomorrow morning at 9.28 hours.
Twenty-eight of the 30 small satellites are from six foreign countries including Canada, Finland, France, South Korea, the UK and the USA while the two are from the ISRO. Our correspondent reports, PSLV-C40 has a lift-off mass of 320 tons and all the 31 satellites together weigh 1323 kilograms.
The filling operation of the two liquid fuel stages of the rocket PSLV C40 is one of the important procedures during the countdown process. System checks and rechecks using manual and remote modes are the other processes during the countdown. The ISRO scientists have said, the filling of the fourth stage of the rocket with liquid fuel has been completed and the filling of the second stage is going on.
The first and third stages have pre-packed solid stage fuels. The “Cartosat-2 Series” that will be launched by the rocket is essentially a remote sensing satellite similar to the six others launched under the series earlier. Its designed mission life is five years. The mission is being accomplished under the stewardship of Dr AS Kirankumar, chairman of the ISRO, who completes his tenure on the day of the launch.
