ISRO: India Launches Its 2nd Navigation Satellite

A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) launched India's second navigation satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Center on April 4, 2014.

Credit: ISRO

India launched its second navigation spacecraft aboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on Friday to continue building an independent space-based system to provide positioning services over Indian territory.

The 144-foot-tall launcher lifted off at 1144 GMT (7:44 a.m. EDT) from the Satish Dhawan Space Center, India's primary space launch site on the country's eastern coastline about 50 miles north of Chennai.

The launch occurred at 5:14 p.m. local time in India.

Propelled by a solid-fueled first stage and six strap-on motors, the PSLV raced into the sky from the Indian launch base, flying east while shedding all six boosters and the first stage in the first two minutes of the flight.

The rocket's second stage Vikas engine ignited for two-and-a-half minutes to push the launcher into space, then the PSLV's third and fourth stages accelerated the mission's payload to orbital velocity.

The upper stage released the Indian navigation satellite about 20 minutes after liftoff, prompting cheers and congratulatory handshakes in the launch control center.

Preliminary data showed the rocket placed the spacecraft in an orbit with a high point of 12,807 miles, a low point of 176 miles and an inclination of 19.2 degrees. The parameters are close to prelaunch predictions.

The launch marked the 26th PSLV mission since 1993 and the launcher's 22nd successful flight in a row.

ISRO: India's Mars Orbiter Mission approach Mars orbit in 200 days

India's Mangalyaan, the Mars Orbiter mission, launched in November last year, is likely to reach the Red Planet in 200 days, the state-owned space agency has said.

"If everything goes as planned, Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) will get inserted into its Martian orbit around, exactly after 200 days from today," the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) reported on Friday evening.

To date, the Mars Orbiter mission has travelled 21 million km, after performing six orbit raising maneuvers around the Earth. 

PSLV-C25 carrying the Mars Orbiter Mission spacecraft was launched from Sriharikota on 05 November 2013.

The Mars Orbiter Spacecraft, India's first interplanetary probe, was launched by PSLV-C25 at 1438 hours on November 5, 2013 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. 

In its voyage towards Mars, the mission has successfully completed 100 days in space tomorrow (February 12, 2014). It is scheduled to reach Mars's orbit on Sept. 24 this year.

The spacecraft health is Normal. The spacecraft is continuously monitored by the ground station of ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), located at Byalalu, near Bangalore. 

Except for a 40 minute break in the Telemetry data received from the spacecraft to the ground station, data has been continuously available for all the 100 days.

The propulsion system of the spacecraft is configured for TCMs and the Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI) Operation. 

On February 6, 2014, all the five payloads on Mars Orbiter spacecraft were switched 'ON' to check their health.

When Mangalyaan, the Mars Orbiter mission, reaches its destination, India would become the world's sixth country after the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and China to achieve such a feat.

ISRO PSLV-C21 Launch puts two foreign satellites in orbit

Foreign Satellite Launch & Construction by Indian Space Research Organisation [ISRO]

The Indian space odyssey crossed a historic landmark on Sunday when a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C21) put in orbit two foreign satellites.

It marked the 100th space mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) which started the journey in 1975 with the launch of its first satellite 'Aryabhata.'

Among those who watched the majestic rocket lift off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, 100km north of Chennai, was Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

At the end of a 51-hour countdown that started on Friday, PSLV-C21 lifted off at 9.53am. After 17 minutes and 49 seconds, it injected the first satellite, the French SPOT-6, into orbit.

Soon, the second satellite, the Japanese Proiteres was put in orbit. You can see details in the ISRO PSLV-C21 brochure here (pdf).

There were, however, some anxious moments when the trajectory on the giant screens at the mission control room showed the rocket's blip deviate slightly midflight, which appeared to have been corrected later.

Scientists cheered and shook hands as the mission was pronounced a success and the Prime Minister congratulated the scientists. "India is justly proud of its space scientists who have overcome many odds to develop our own technology for space missions," he said.

It was PSLV's 21st consecutively successful flight. PSLV-C21 is India's 38th satellite launch vehicle to lift off from Sriharikota. India has so far put in orbit 62 Indian satellites. The two numbers add up the century that Isro celebrated on Sunday.

Besides buttressing its technological mastery, Isro, with its latest launch, has cemented its place in among the space-faring nations as a sought-after commercial launcher. Isro's commercial arm Antrix Corporation has received several requests from foreign countries to launch their satellites for a price.