ISRO launched their PSLV-C35 rocket on a mission to deploy eight satellites in two different orbits. This is no mean feat.
At 9:12AM this morning, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched their PSLV-C35 rocket on an unprecedented mission: to deploy a series of satellite payloads into two different orbits in a single mission.
When it comes to launching satellites and equipment into space, the implications behind the success of such a mission cannot be overstated. In usual cases, the launch of a single satellite into orbit is in itself a delicate combination of precision, timing and months of prior planning. Given the fact that all of the equipment--from the launch vehicle to the payload deployment systems--needs to function flawlessly and on split-second cue, a successful satellite launch is no mean feat for even the most experienced of space agencies.
But to insert two separate sets of payloads into two different orbits in a single launch is another level of capability altogether.
Today India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) today lifted off with a full load of cargo--satellites comprising the massive 371 Kg SCATSAT-1 for ocean and weather related studies, along with seven co-passenger satellites including ones from from Algeria, Canada and USA as well as two satellites from India’s IIT-B university. SCATSAT-1 will be inserted into a Polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO) at an altitude of 730 Km while the other satellites will be released into a lower orbit at a height of 689 Km.
Before understanding the challenges behind a multi-orbit satellite launch, a quick primer on the PSLV rocket itself. This rocket comprises four ‘stages’ that are alternatively powered by solid and liquid fuel. From the instant the countdown hits zero to the rocket reaching its predefined altitude, each of the four stages deploy sequentially to provide the thrust--and the necessary speed--needed to escape earth’s gravitational pull.
The challenge in the case of a multi-orbit satellite launch is specifically in the fourth stage--this engine actually needs to be shut off and restarted mid-flight. While this may sound trivial, it isn’t. Unlike a car engine, for example, that runs at an operating temperature of about 100 degrees Celsius, rocket engines work at temperatures of up to 3,200 degrees Celsius. So shutting such an engine off, cooling it down, and restarting it mid-flight with split second timing is as daunting as it sounds.
With the success of such a mission, ISRO will once more stake its claim as being one of the few agencies to ever achieve such a feat.
Update: The mission was a success, with the eight satellites being inserted as planned into their respective orbits!
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 "PSLV-C35 launch | SCATSAT-1 | ISRO")
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