Isro set to cross century, create history: Carrying 104 satellites in one go
Srinivas Laxman | TNN |
Representative image
If Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) succeeds in launching 104 satellites at one go on Wednesday, the country's nearly half-a-century-old space programme will create a new world record and take a giant leap in space technology.
The much-awaited launch which has attracted not only interest within the country, but abroad as well, is scheduled for 9.28am at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The rocket for the record-breaking mission is the advanced version of the four-stage Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle designated PSLV-Xl.
An Isro official told TOI that the mission called for a considerable amount of precision as the challenge lay in deploying the satellites in a way they do not collide. "After lift-off, the first satellite to go into orbit will be the indigenous Cartosat-2 series followed by two Isro nanosatellites," he said.
Following this, 101 international nanosatellites will be deployed in `quadpacks'.
"Essentially, these quadpacks are like boxes and each of them will contain three or four satellites. Once the quadpacks leave the fourth stage of the rocket, the tiny nano and macro satellites will move out of the quadpacks and enter orbit,'' he explained, emphasising that it will be a an extremely precise manoeuvre.
All 104 satellites will be deployed in a 505km polar sun synchronous orbit at rapid intervals in a span of 28 minutes.
Isro officials have all along maintained that Wednesday's mission was not to break any record, but merely to utilise the additional capacity of PSLV. "The success of this mission will go a long way in increasing India's share in the global satellite market,'' an official said.
The final countdown for the mission kicked off at 5.28am on Tuesday, following the green signal by Isro's mission readiness review and the launch authorisation.
"It is almost a century mark,'' said an official. Secondly, for the first time, an Arab and Israeli satellite will be flown to together.
The much-awaited launch which has attracted not only interest within the country, but abroad as well, is scheduled for 9.28am at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The rocket for the record-breaking mission is the advanced version of the four-stage Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle designated PSLV-Xl.
An Isro official told TOI that the mission called for a considerable amount of precision as the challenge lay in deploying the satellites in a way they do not collide. "After lift-off, the first satellite to go into orbit will be the indigenous Cartosat-2 series followed by two Isro nanosatellites," he said.
Following this, 101 international nanosatellites will be deployed in `quadpacks'.
"Essentially, these quadpacks are like boxes and each of them will contain three or four satellites. Once the quadpacks leave the fourth stage of the rocket, the tiny nano and macro satellites will move out of the quadpacks and enter orbit,'' he explained, emphasising that it will be a an extremely precise manoeuvre.
All 104 satellites will be deployed in a 505km polar sun synchronous orbit at rapid intervals in a span of 28 minutes.
Isro officials have all along maintained that Wednesday's mission was not to break any record, but merely to utilise the additional capacity of PSLV. "The success of this mission will go a long way in increasing India's share in the global satellite market,'' an official said.
The final countdown for the mission kicked off at 5.28am on Tuesday, following the green signal by Isro's mission readiness review and the launch authorisation.
"It is almost a century mark,'' said an official. Secondly, for the first time, an Arab and Israeli satellite will be flown to together.
Apart from the record the mission is significant for unique collaborations among countries as well. Firstly, contrary to earlier reports, the number of American satellites which will be carried is 96 and not 88.