An Indian rocket took a
14-minute trip into orbit early Monday, releasing nine satellites from six
countries on missions to observe Earth, demonstrate low-cost space technologies
and educate students around the world.
The Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicle blasted off at 0353:51 GMT Monday (11:53:51 p.m. EDT Sunday) from the
Satish Dhawan Space Center on Sriharikota Island on India's east coast. The
146-foot-tall rocket turned south from the launch base, traversing the Indian
Ocean before arriving in orbit about 14 minutes after liftoff.
Five minutes later, the
nine satellites were all deployed and Indian officials announced the launch was
a success.
The payloads totaled about
1,800 pounds, allowing India to use the PSLV's core-alone configuration without
the rocket's trademark strap-on solid-fueled boosters. Monday's launch was the
third flight of the core-alone version and the 11th successful launch of the
PSLV in 13 tries since 1993.
Released first from the
launcher was Cartosat 2A, a 1,521-pound satellite built to snap images of Earth
along with Cartosat 2, a predecessor launched
in January 2007. Both craft carry cameras capable of producing images
showing objects as small as about three feet, according to the Indian Space
Research Organization, the operator of the satellites.
The addition of Cartosat 2A
will give the tandem quicker response times and provide more timely imagery to
users. The information will be used mostly by civil government agencies and
military forces, according to Indian media reports.
Monday's flight also put
the first Indian Mini-Satellite, or IMS 1, into orbit for ISRO. The small
spacecraft features two medium- and low-resolution cameras to gather photos of
locations around the world. Data from the 183-pound satellite's technology
demonstration systems and cameras will be made available to developing nations,
according to ISRO.
Eight other miniature
payloads rode into space fastened to a support structure underneath Cartosat
2A. Six tiny CubeSat spacecraft, each weighing between two and eight pounds,
separated from the rocket within about 20 minutes after launch.
The CubeSat payloads were
built by students at universities in Canada, Japan, Germany, Denmark, and the
Netherlands.
The final satellite to
separate from the launcher was CanX 6, a 14-pound Canadian spacecraft designed
to track ships using maritime navigation signals transmitted from sea vessels.
A similar German instrument
remained attached to the PSLV's fourth stage to conduct communications testing
for a system used to relay navigation data from ships through the commercial
ORBCOMM satellite fleet.
The ten payloads set a
record for an Indian space launch, besting the previous mark of four satellites
on one flight.
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