Isro launches Oceansat-2

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) successfully launched on Wednesday its 15th satellite, Oceansat-2, as a replacement to Oceansat-1 that had outlived its life span. With this launch, India has emerged as a major player in the multi-billion dollar space market.

The advanced 16th satellite Polar Launch Vehicle Satellite C-14 (PSLV) lifted off at 11.51 am from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh after a 51-hour count down. The 960-kg main payload, Oceansat-2, was the first satellite to be injected into orbit at 1,081 seconds after lift-off at an altitude of 728 km. About 45 seconds later, four of the six nano satellites were separated in sequence. The six nano satellites — four from Germany and one each from Switzerland and Turkey — were launched under a commercial agreement.

Isro chairman Madhavan Nair said, “PSLV is like wine. As it ages, it improves and gets better.”

The cuboid-shaped Oceansat-2, which has lifespan of five years, will study oceans’ interactions with the atmosphere, identify potential fishing zones, facilitate forecasting of sea-state and weather forecasting and studies on coastal zones and climate change. The information will have a good international market as bulk of the revenue of Isro’s commercial arm, Antrix Corporation, comes from remote-sensing data.

This was the sixteenth mission of Isro’s workhorse PSLV and its fifteenth consecutive success. From October 1994 onwards, PSLV has proved its reliability, and versatility by launching satellites. Of the 39 satellites launched by PSLV so far, 17 have been Indian.