PSLV-C2 was the second operational launch and overall fifth mission of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) program. This launch was also the forty-third launch by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) since its first mission on 1 January 1962. The vehicle carried three satellites which were deployed in the Sun-synchronous low Earth orbit.[1][2][3][4][5] The vehicle carried India's first remote sensing satellite Oceansat-1 (IRS-P4) as the main payload. It also carried South Korean satellite KITSAT-3 and German satellite DLR-Tubsat as auxiliary payloads.[1] PSLV-C2 was the first Indian Expendable launch vehicle to carry and deploy more than one satellite in a mission. This was also India's and ISRO's first commercial spaceflight where South Korea and Germany each paid US$1.0 million (equivalent to $1.89 million in 2024) to ISRO for launching their satellites.[5][6]

Mission parameters

  • Mass:
    • Total liftoff weight: 294,000 kg (648,000 lb)
    • Payload weight: 1,202 kg (2,650 lb)
  • Overall height: 44.4 m (146 ft)
  • Propellant:
  • Engine:
    • First stage: S139
    • Second stage: Vikas
    • Third stage:
    • Fourth stage: 2 x PS-4
  • Thrust:
    • First stage: 4628 + 662 x 6 kN
    • Second stage: 725 kN
    • Third stage: 340 kN
    • Fourth stage: 7.2 x 2 kN
  • Altitude: 735.1 km (456.8 mi)
  • Maximum velocity: 7,490 m/s (24,600 ft/s) (recorded at time of fourth stage ignition)
  • Duration: 1117.5 seconds [1][7]

Payload

PSLV-C2 carried and deployed total three satellites. Oceansat-1 (IRS-P4) was the main payload and KITSAT-3 and DLR-Tubsat were two auxiliary payloads that were mounted on PSLV-C2 equipment bay diametrically opposite to each other. Oceansat-1, was mounted on top of the equipment bay. In the flight sequence, IRS-P4 was injected first, followed by KITSAT-3 and then DLR-Tubsat.[1][8][9]

Country Name No. Mass Type Objective
India India Oceansat-1 1 1050 kg Indian Remote Sensing Satellite Remote sensing
South Korea South Korea KITSAT-3 1 107 kg Microsatellite Test and demonstrate new satellite bus & its payloads
Germany Germany DLR-Tubsat 1 45 kg Microsatellite Test newly developed attitude control system

Launch and planned flight profile

Heat shield of PSLV displayed at HAL heritage center.

PSLV-C2 was launched at 06:22 UTC on 26 May 1999 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (then called "Sriharikota Launching Range"). The mission was planned with pre-flight prediction of perigee and apogee of 727 km (452 mi). The actual perigee was 723.1 km, apogee was 735.1 km. Following was the planned flight profile.[1][2][3][4][5][7]

Stage Time
(seconds)		 Altitude
(kilometer)		 Velocity
(meter/sec)		 Event Remarks
First stage T+0 0.02 450 First stage ignition Lift-off
T+1.2 0.02 450 Ignition of 4 ground-lit strap-on motors
T+25.1 2.43 540 Ignition of 2 air-lit strap-on motors
T+68.1 23.10 1,100 Separation of 4 ground-lit strap-on motors
T+90.1 40.21 1,520 Separation of 2 air-lit strap-on motors
T+117.7 72.08 1,970 First stage separation
Second stage T+117.9 72.38 1,970 Second stage ignition
T+162.7 120.71 2,210 Heat shield separation
T+167.7 126.60 2,260 Closed-loop guidance initiation
T+284.5 254.03 4,070 Second stage separation
Third stage T+285.7 255.46 4,060 Third stage ignition
T+506.4 533.57 5,970 Third stage separation
Fourth stage T+584.4 605.44 5,870 Fourth stage ignition
T+991.7 728.25 7,490 Fourth stage thrust cut-off
T+1017.5 728.66 7,490 Oceansat-1 (IRS-P4) separation
T+1067.5 729.51 7,490 KITSAT-3 separation
T+1117.5 730.41 7,490 DLR-Tubsat separation

The launch was witnessed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee (then Prime Minister of India), Murli Manohar Joshi, Vasundhara Raje and N. Chandrababu Naidu.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "PSLV-C2". Indian Space Research Organisation. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Space Launch Report: PSLV". Space Launch Report. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  3. ^ a b "ISRO timeline since 1960s". Indian Space Research Organisation. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  4. ^ a b "PSLV-C2 mission". iisc.ernet.in. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  5. ^ a b c "The science and commerce of PSLV". Frontline (magazine). Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  6. ^ a b "PSLV Successfully Launches Three Satellites". Press Information Bureau. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  7. ^ a b "PSLV-C2 brochure" (PDF). Indian Space Research Organisation. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  8. ^ "Korea Institute of Technology Satellite-3". eoportal.org. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  9. ^ "TUBSAT (Technical University of Berlin Satellite) Program". eoportal.org. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
Allikas: Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSLV-C2
No tags for this post.