ISRO launches PSLV-C-15, successfully places Cartosat-2B, four other satellites in orbit

SRIHARIKOTA - The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday successfully launched the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C-15), which was carrying the remote sensing Cartosat-2B and four other satellites.

The four-stage 44.4 metre tall 230-tonne PSLV-C-15 lifted off at the end of a 51-hour countdown from the Satish Dhawan space centre at 9.22 a.m.

The PSLV-15 will place four satellites into orbit, including Alsat from Algeria, two nano satellites from Canada and Switzerland, and a pico (very small) satellite Studsat built by seven engineering students of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

The countdown started on Saturday morning.

ISRO has been carrying out multiple launches for several years.

In 2008, it set a world record by launching 10 satellites at one go.

Built to last for five years, the Rs.200-crore Cartosat-2B is India’s 17th remote sensing satellite and is meant to augment ISRO’s remote sensing data services along with two other satellites, Cartosat-2 and 2A launched earlier.

The satellites’ imagery can be used for preparing detailed forest type maps, tree volume estimation, village/cadastral level crop inventory, town/village settlement mapping and planning for development, rural connectivity, canal alignment, coastal land form, mining monitoring and others.

“With the launch of Cartosat-2B, ISRO will have 10 remote sensing satellites in orbit - IRS 1D, Resourcesat 1, TES, Cartosat 1, 2 and 2A, IMS 1, RISAT-2, Oceansat 1 and 2,” an ISRO public relations department release said. (ANI)