This Is What ISRO’s PSLV-C29 Looked Like as It Took off

The satellites will help Singapore gather information on disaster monitoring and urban planning.

ISRO’s PSLV-C29 lifts off from Sriharikota, AP. (Photo: PTI)

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched PSLV-C29 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

The rocket is carrying six Singaporean satellites which will help gather information on disaster monitoring and urban planning.

The prime minister also congratulated the team on the launch.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C29 will put the satellites in orbit upon reaching 550 kms from the earth’s surface. The satellites would be launched one after another, 30 seconds apart, to avoid collision and set a distance of about 20 kilometres between them.

For the first time, the satellites will orbit around the equator and gather data that will benefit those in the equatorial region. The satellites will be put into a 550 kms circular orbit inclined at 15 degrees to the equator.

The satellites will be able to produce information at a much higher frequency. This will surely be very important when you use it for disaster monitoring in the region like Southeast Asia.

<b>Professor Goh Cher Hiang, Project Director, Satellite Programme, National University of Singapore </b>

Front Row View of the Lift-off

PSLV-C29 at different phases during the lift-off. (Photo: PTI)

PSLV-C29 just as it takes off from Sriharikota. (Photo: PTI)

ISRO’s PSLV-C29 lifts off from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. (Photo: PTI)

PSLV-C29 carrying six Singaporean satellites during the lift off. (Photo:PTI)

PSLV-C29 during a later stage of the lift-off from Sriharikota. (Photo: PTI)

The satellite can capture images of Singapore once every 100 minutes and tracks threats in the sea and air, as well as natural disaster across the region.

Of the six satellites, TeLEOS-1 is the primary satellite weighing 400 kg whereas the other five satellites include two micro-satellites and three nano-satellites. TeLEOS-1 is the first Singapore commercial earth observation satellite.

Antrix Corporation Ltd, the commercial arm of ISRO, has provided launch services in PSLV for 51 customer satellites from 20 countries so far.