ISRO HITS A CENTURY
India launched its 100th satellite along with 30 other spacecraft on Friday
NEWDELHI: The successful launch of the Polar Satellite Launch VehicleorPSLVC-40thatplaced a 710-kg Cartosat-2 satellite, the seventh of the series, and 30 co-passenger satelliteson Friday morning was met with elation and relief at the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro).
“Isro is starting 2018 with the successful launch of Cartosat, a nanosat, microsat and 28 customer satellites,” outgoing chairperson AS Kiran Kumar said. “We are happy to provide a new year’s gift to the country.”
The agency’s 100th launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sri- harikota was closely watched in India and around the world after a failure on August 31 last year.
The 41st flight had a normal lift-off and everything happened as planned, according to Isro, but failed to launch due to a glitch in heat-shield separation.
Kiran Kumar said the heat shield problem had been addressed. “It is properly understood and rectified,” he said.
It has been an eventful week for India’s space agency. The launch, earlier scheduled for January 10, was deferred to Friday. And, the government announced earlier this week that KS ivan will take over as Isro chairperson replacing Kiran Kumar.
“It is a befitting tribute to our beloved chairman, who has been a driving force for Isro, and an excellent welcome launch for our new chairman designate,” P Kunhikrishnan, director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, said.
TheCartosat-2remote-sensing satellite, the main payload onboardthePSLVC-40,willboost data services for users that will be used in urban and rural applications, coastal land use and regulation, monitoring of road networks, water distribution, land use mapping.
The co-passenger satellites comprise one microsatellite and one nanosatellite from India as well as three microsatellites and 25 nanosatellites from Canada, Finland, France, Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States.