Countdown begins as ISRO set to launch Cartosat-2 with 30 nano satellites Friday

New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is getting ready to launch its earth observation satellite Cartosat-2 series satellite along with 30 co-passenger satellites using a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Sriharikota on Friday, June 23.

According to ISRO, the PSLV rocket's XL variant carrying the 712 kg Cartosat-2 series satellite and 30 co-passenger satellites together weighing about 243 kg is expected to lift off on Friday morning at 9.29 a.m. from the First Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota.

The 28-hour countdown for the rocket launch with 31 satellites (29 foreign and one Indian) has begun on Thursday morning after the Mission Readiness Review (MRR) committee and Launch Authorisation Board (LAB) gave the go ahead.

The 30 satellites will together weigh 243 kg and the total weight of all the 31 satellites, including Cartosat, is about 955 kg, ISRO said.

The rocket will sling the satellites into a 505 km polar sun sunchronous orbit (SSO).

The co-passenger satellites comprise 29 nano satellites from 14 countries - Austria, Belgium, Britain, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and the US as well as one Indian nano satellite.

The 29 international customer nano satellites are being launched as part of the commercial arrangements between ISRO's commercial arm, the Antrix Corporation Ltd and the international customers.

The Indian nano satellite 15 kg NIUSAT belongs to Nooral Islam University, Tamil Nadu. The satellite will provide multi-spectral imagery for agricultural crop monitoring and disaster management support applications.

This will be the seventeenth flight of PSLV in 'XL' configuration (with the use of solid strap-on motors).