India’s PSLV C-45 to place 30 Satellites in 3 different orbits

The launch will be on March 21 – also includes a satellite for electronic intelligence

• For the first time in the country’s space history, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is going to launch a PSLV mission in March where it will release payloads of 30 different satellites in three different orbits.
• In the space technology race in global level, India with Chandrayaan-1 and Mars Orbiter Mission India has proved that it is one of the forerunners in the race and knows exactly what it is doing.
• ISRO centers began the launch assembly campaign for launch of the advanced electronic intelligence satellite EMISAT with 29 satellites on board the PSLV-C45 rocket.

What is PSLV – C45?

• The Polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) is a four stage launch vehicle with alternating solid and liquid stages. This mission is unique as it is the first PSLV fourth stage (PS4) that uses solar panels.
• PSLV-C45 mission on March 14 will be a special launch as it will be ISRO’s first three-orbit mission.

3 Stages of Orbiting

• Soon after takeoff from Sriharikota, the rocket will first launch an electronic intelligence satellite EMISAT of DRDO at an orbit of 763 km.
• Soon after launching the DRDO payload, PS-4 stage (last stage of rocket) will make two orbital manoeuvres (will be restarted twice) to reach an orbit of 504 km where it will release 28 foreign satellites.
• Thereafter, the PS-4 will again make two orbital manoeuvres to reach the 485 km orbit where it will be released and double up as an experimental platform for space experiments.
• Unlike the previous mission on January 24 when the last stage of the rocket used batteries to remain active, this time we are going to use solar panels so as to use solar energy to keep it active for at least six months.
• The students can use do space experiments like microgravity test for free
• It will help students and young scientists make the most of this “usually dead stage” for performing experiments in space for free.

What is EMISAT?

• EMISAT is an advanced electronic intelligence (ELINT) satellite jointly developed by ISRO-DRDO. It has a basic architecture similar to HySIS (based on Small Satellite Bus-2) which was first used in SARAL satellite.
• The satellite has been under development for nearly 8 years. The ELINT payload of the satellite was developed under project KAUTILYA by Defense Electronics Research Laboratory (DLRL), Hyderabad.
• The project was first acknowledged in the Ministry of Defense annual report 2013-14. EMISAT is a small satellite i.e. it weighs less than 500kg.
• It is likely to be placed in a highly elliptical orbit (signature SIGINT satellite orbit) so as to maximize dwell time over specific signal recording area.

Pic courtesy:Sify.com