NEW DELHI: With Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) set to launch another bunch of satellites — Cartosat along with 30 nano satellites — from the Sriharikota launchpad on Friday, the number of spacecraft missions launched by the space agency till now will go up to 90. However, not all these spacecrafts are operational now but are still in space.Though Isro's main objective is to make satellites functional once placed in orbit, protecting them from space debris is also the top priority of the agency.Space debris is the collection of defunct man-made objects in space — old satellites, spent rocket stages and fragments from disintegration and collisions.These space debris can really be dangerous as they travel at a speed of up to 30,000 km an hour, which turns even tiny pieces of junk into deadly shrapnel that can damage satellites, space shuttles and even space stations.However, Isro relies on a slew of methods to safeguard its assets in space. The agency is a member of Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC), which makes global efforts to reduce man-made and natural space debris. The primary objective of IADC is to exchange information on space debris among member space agencies, to facilitate opportunities for cooperation in space debris research and identify debris mitigation options.Tapan Misra, director of Ahmedabad-based Space Applications Centre (SAC), said, "IADC alerts a respective space agency when any satellite of that space agency is in danger due to space debris."Isro also banks on its sophisticated Multi-Object Tracking Radar (MOTR), operational since 2015, to track space debris. Tapan Misra said, "The state-of-the-art radar, developed at our centre, can track 10 objects simultaneously of size 30cm by 30cm at a distance of 800km. In case of objects of 50cm by 50cm size, the radar can track at a range of 1,000km."The space agency is also making efforts to reduce space debris by going for mass satellite launches. After the successful launch of a record 104 satellites in one go on February 15, Isro is gearing up to launch 31 satellites, all packed in PSLV-C38, from Sriharikota on Friday.The SAC director said, "With use of one rocket for multiple satellites, Isro is actually helping reduce space debris", as each rocket spent in space adds to space junk.Explaining the process of rockets becoming space debris, Dr K Sivan, director of Thiruvananthapuram-based Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, said, "The fourth stage of rocket once launches a satellite into its respective orbit becomes useless. This fourth stage, which contains some propellant, could be dangerous as it could explode and add to space debris. But we ensure this stage doesn't explode as we have fitted a mechanism whereby this stage automatically deactivates and de-pressurises itself after it places a satellite in its orbit and completes its mission."As of July 5, 2016, the United States Strategic Command had tracked a total of 17,852 artificial objects in orbit, including 1,419 operational satellites. As of July 2013, over 170 million debris smaller than 1 cm, about 670,000 debris 1-10 cm, and around 29,000 larger debris were estimated to be in orbit.Isro has been tracking its spacecrafts 24x7 to eliminate the danger of space debris hitting them.</s>This story is from June 23, 2017

PSLV-C38 lifts off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Friday (TOI photo by R Ramesh Shankar)

Indian Space Research Organisation

earth observation satellite Cartosat-2s

‘Not an ordinary mission’

Cartosat

SRIHARIKOTA:(Isro) once again displayed its mastery in launching multiple satellites in a single flight by placing 31 satellites in their orbits on Friday. A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle -- PSLV-C38 – placedand 30 nano satellites , including 29 from 14 different countries, in their respective orbits. PSLV-C38 blasted off from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 9.29am. It was PSLV’s the 40th flight.Around 16 minutes after lift-off, the rocket placed its main payload –Cartosat-2 Series Satellite-- in orbit. The satellite is the sixth in the Cartosat-2 series.As the rocket propelled further up the space, it ejected 30 other nano satellites. Twenty nine satellites belonged to 14 foreign countries -- Austria, Belgium, Chile, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, the UK and the US.One nano satellite was made by students of Noorul Islam University in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu.The launch also marked the second highest number of payloads in a single flight after Isro launched 104 satellites onboard PSLV-C37 on February 15 this year.Isro chairman A S Kiran Kumar congratulated the scientists after the mission was declared a success.Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre director K Sivan said it was not an ordinary mission. PS4 (fourth stage) would travel 10 more orbits after ejecting all the satellites, he said.Mission director B Jayakumar said the vehicle had two more payloads apart from the 31 satellites. The two additional payloads would conduct certain experiments in 10 different orbits. However, he didn’t give details of the two additional payloads.“The fourth stage of the vehicle will be reignited thrice. The atmospheric data collected from the orbit will be useful for future missions,” he said.“The success of the mission shows that PSLV can do any mission, carry any number of satellites and travel multiple orbits,” Jayakumar said.Satish Dhawan Space Centre director P Kunhikrishnan said, “The mission clearly demonstrates the reliability of the launch vehicle.”The 712kg Cartosat will provide regular remote sensing services using its panchromatic and multispectral cameras.The images sent by the satellite will be useful for cartographic applications, urban and rural applications, coastal land use and regulation, utility management like road network monitoring, water distribution, creation of land use maps, change detection to bring out geographical and man-made features and various other land information system (LIS) as well as geographical information system (GIS) applications.India has one of the largest fleet of remote sensing satellites. While these satellites provide services for the public, they also have performed specific tasks in the past. It is to recall that images from one of the satellites, Cartosat-2C, was used to nail the targets during India’s surgical strikes on Pakistan last year.In Video: Isro's PSLV C-38 with 31 satellites lifts off from Sriharikota</s>ISRO on Friday successfully launched Cartosat-2 series satellite along with 30 co-passenger satellites on Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh at 09.29am

The 28-hour countdown for the launch began at 5.29 am on Thursday.

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, in its 40th flight (PSLV-C38), would launch the 712 kg Cartosat-2 series satellite for earth observation and 30 co-passenger satellites together weighing about 243 kg at lift-off into a 505 km polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO).

The total weight of all these satellites carried onboard PSLV-C38 is about 955 kg. The co-passenger satellites, comprise 29 Nano satellites from 14 countries - Austria, Belgium, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America besides a Nano satellite from India.

With the launch of today's Cartosat-2E, the total number of spacecraft missions launched by ISRO rose to 90.

What is the benefit of Cartosite-2 series?

According to ISRO, the imagery of Cartosat-2 series satellite will be useful cartographic applications, urban and rural applications, coastal land use and regulation, utility management like road network monitoring, water distribution, creation of land use maps, precision study, change detection to bring out geographical and manmade features and various other Land Information System (LIS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) applications.

This remote sensing satellite is similar in configuration to earlier satellites in the series with the objective of providing high-resolution scene specific spot imagery, says ISRO.</s>The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) on June 22, Thursday, began the countdown for the launch of the 40th flight of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C38).

The 28-hour countdown began early on Wednesday morning, while the launch will take place at 9.29 am on Friday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, an island off the coast of Andhra Pradesh.

The launch vehicle will carry "the 712-kg Cartosat-2 series satellite for earth observation and 30 co-passenger satellites together weighing about 243 kg at lift-off into a 505-km polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO)," according to an official statement from Isro. The total weight of all these satellites is about 955 kg.

Of the 30 smaller satellites, only one is from India while the rest belong to other countries.These are Austria, Belgium, Chile, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

This is an ongoing process, and India is making a habit of launching satellites of other countries on a regular basis. Expectedly, the 29 foreign satellites being launched on Friday are being done as "part of the commercial arrangements between Antrix Corporation Limited (Antrix), a Government of India company under Department of Space (DOS) and the commercial arm of Isro and the International customers."

The space agency said of the primary satellite: "This remote sensing satellite is similar in configuration to earlier satellites in the series with the objective of providing high-resolution scene-specific spot imagery."

The launch of PSLV-C38 along with the Cartosat 2 series Earth-observation satellite along with the 30 nanosatellites will be telecast LIVE on India's national channel Doordarshan, while webcasting will take place on the Isro official website.

The event can also be caught live on the Doordarshan channel on YouTube, with transmission beginning from 9 am on Friday. Watch the channel here:</s>The countdown for the launch of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s Cartosat-2 series satellite, along with 30 co-passenger satellites, began on Thursday morning. Isro will launch the 712-kg satellite into a 505-km polar sun synchronous orbit from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, at 9.05 am on Friday.

The Cartosat-2 series satellite will be launched by Isro’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C38) for earth observation. It is a remote-sensing satellite that will provide high-resolution, scene-specific spot imagery, the space agency said.

This will be the PSLV’s 40th flight.

The 30 co-passenger satellites, weighing around 243 kg at lift-off, will include 29 nano satellites from 14 countries – Austria, Belgium, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and the United States – and one made in India. The launch of these international nano satellites is part of an agreement between Isro’s commercial arm Antrix Corporation Ltd and international customers.</s>The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday successfully launched the 712 kg Cartosat-2 series satellite for earth observation along with 30 co-passenger satellites together weighing about 243 kg at lift-off into a 505 km polar Sun Synchronous Orbit with its rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C38). The satellite mission was launched from the First Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The mission assumed significance for Tamil Nadu as it carried a satellite indigenously developed by students of a university in Kanyakumari district. Developed by Noorul Islam University, the NIUSAT satellite is designed to provide multi-spectral imagery for agricultural crop monitoring and disaster management support applications.

Below are the LIVE UPDATES:

10.10 am: PSLV-C38 successfully puts Cartosat-2 Series and 30 other satellites into orbit, says ISRO

10.00 am: All 31 satellites have been successfully separated: ISRO

9.43 am: According to ISRO, the performance of PSLV-C38 has been normal so far.

9.29 am: PSLV-C38, carrying 31 satellites, has been launched.

9.24 am: This will be the 40th flight of PSLV and 17th flight of PSLV in ‘XL’ configuration (with the use of solid strap-on motors). PSLV-C38 will carry satellites weighing a total of about 955 kg.

9.22 am: Cartosat-2, the primary satellite which would be launched, is a remote sensing satellite that is similar in configuration to earlier satellites in the series with the objective of providing high-resolution scene specific spot imagery.

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App</s>The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is launching the 40th flight of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C38) on Friday, June 23, at around 9:30 am IST. The 28-hour countdown for the launch began on Thursday morning.

The launch takes place from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, an island off the coast of Andhra Pradesh.

The PSLV carries "the 712-kg Cartosat-2 series satellite for earth observation and 30 co-passenger satellites together weighing about 243 kg at lift-off into a 505-km polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO)," according to an official statement from Isro. The total weight of all these satellites is said to be around 955 kg.

The 30 co-passenger satellites include only one from India, while the rest are from Austria, Belgium, Chile, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

They are being launched "as part of the commercial arrangements between Antrix Corporation Limited (Antrix), a Government of India company under Department of Space (DOS) and the commercial arm of Isro and the International customers."

Live streaming of the launch will be carried out on Doordarshan. The transmission begins at 9 am IST on Friday.

You can also watch it online. Click HERE to watch the entire event live.

In case you cannot watch the event, here are LIVE updates of the entire launch, including the procedures leading up to it:

9 am IST: The PSLV, which made its first flight in 1993, now has a four-stage launch procedure. In two of these stages it will use solid fuel, and liguid fuel will be used in the two others.

8:30 am IST: The launch will be special for students of the Noorul Islam University in Kumarakovil. The NIUSAT they have built is the sole Indian micro-satellite being launched aboard PSLV-C38. Read all about it!

8 am IST: The PSLV stands 44.4 m tall, and has a liftoff mass of around 320 ton. It is a four-stage rocket.

The Cartosat, meanwhile, is an earth-imaging satellite that will help India monitor its own territory and environment better.

7:30 am IST: The launch is still about a couple of hours away, but according to Isro, the propellant-filling operations of the Second Stage (PS2) of the PSLV are completed. "Countdown is progressing normally," says the space agency.</s>ISRO has started the countdown for the launch of its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which will take the Cartosat-2 series satellite as well as 30 co-passenger satellites to space from Sriharikota tomorrow. Following the launch its most powerful indigenous rocket GSLV Mk III on earlier this month, ISRO is all set to launch the Cartosat-2 series which will be carried by PSLV-C38 tomorrow at 0929 hours, the countdown for which started today at 0529 hours. The co-passenger satellites, consist of 29 Nanosatellites from 14 other countries. This will be the 40th flight of PSLV, and this launch is a part of the deal between Antrix Corporation Limited (Antrix), the commercial arm of ISRO and customers all over the globe. Cartosat-2 is a remote sensing satellite and it is similar in configuration to earlier satellites in the series. Here are all the things you need to know about the satellite launch.

What is the Cartosat-2 series satellite? Cartosat-2 Series Satellite is the main satellite which the PSLV-C38 will carry. It is a remote sensing satellite and its configuration is similar to other satellites in the series. The series was created with the intention of high-resolution spot imagery for particular scenes. The Cartosat-2 Series Satellite, one other Indian satellite, and 29 co-passenger satellites from around the world are in the lineup to be launched into an altitude of 505 km. This satellite series is basically an earth observation satellite which can provide high-res images that provide data in different types of scales. The Cartosat-2 Series satellite is 6th in the series and is known as Cartosat- 2E. The satellite weighs around 714 kg and is operated and maintained by ISRO.

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When is the launch? Which other satellites will go in the PSLV? The Cartosat 2E satellite has been scheduled to be launched tomorrow at 9:20 am and along with it, will go 30 co-passenger satellite. The other nano satellites together weigh around 243kg and will lift off from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The PSLV rocket will then sling the satellites into a 505 km polar sun synchronous orbit (SSO). This will be PSLV’s 40th flight launching a total of 955 kg satellite. The other 30 mini satellites along with Cartosat 2 comprise 29 Nanosatellites from 14 countries, including Austria, Belgium, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America besides a Nanosatellite from India.

Also read | ISRO starts working with NASA on a common satellite for 2021 launch: What is the purpose of the joint mission

What is the use of Cartosat-2E? How will it help India? Cartosat-2E has been built especially with a panchromatic camera which will be able to take black and white pictures of the planet in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The images taken from the satellite will be useful for rural and urban spot applications, to identify coastal land use and regulations. The pictures taken will also help monitor the road network and water distribution, the creation of land use maps, change detection to bring out geographical and manmade features and various other Land Information System (LIS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) applications. Earlier, India had to purchase pictures worth about Rs 2 crores in a year from Ikonos which is multispectral and offered pictures of lower resolution. Meanwhile, Cartosat 2 series comes with better features and provides better resolution.

How long do these satellites go back in history? The Cartosat is similar to the 4 satellites of the Cartosat-2 series that has been launched in the past. The first one in the series was launched by PSLV-C7 in the year 2007 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre’s FLP at Sriharikota. Then, Cartosat-2A was launched by PSLV-C9 in 2008. It was dedicated to the Indian Armey to establish an Aerospace Command. Following this, satellite Cartosat 2B was launched by PSLV-C15 in the year 2010. Meanwhile, recently the Cartosat 2C, with a special potential to record weather mapping, was taken off on June 22, last year. Meanwhile, in 2017, Cartosat-2D was launched by PSLV-C37 which took with it over 100 satellites.</s>In yet another masterful demonstration of its space prowess, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday successfully launched its workhorse rocket PSLV-C38 from Sriharikota carrying the Cartosat-2 series satellite for earth observation along with 30 co-passenger satellites. Weighing 712 kg, Cartosat-2 series satellite has been specifically designed for the benefit of the defence forces.

The latest launch comes two weeks after the space agency scripted history by blasting off the GSAT-19 satellite, one of the heaviest communication satellites, with the GSLV Mark III-D1 rocket. The rocket became the heaviest to be launched by ISRO ever, with the heaviest single payload put in orbit as well.

This was the 40th flight of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and 17th flight of PSLV in ‘XL’ configuration (with the use of solid strap-on motors). The co-passenger satellites comprised 29 Nano satellites from 14 countries – Austria, Belgium, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America in addition to a Nano satellite from India. The total weight of all the satellites carried on-board the PSLV-C38 is about 955 kg.

Cartosat-2 is a remote sensing satellite that is similar in configuration to earlier satellites in the series with the objective of providing high-resolution scene specific spot imagery. With the launch of a third spacecraft in Cartosat-2 series, India’s ‘eye in the sky’ is on course to become sharper and wider. According to ISRO sources, the images captured by the previous satellite in the series on India’s neighbourhood had helped New Delhi carry out surgical strikes on seven terror launch pads across the Line of Control last year.

Reflecting on the launch, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was proud of the space agency’s achievement. “Congratulations to ISRO on its 40th successful Polar satellite launch carrying 31 satellites from 15 countries. You make us proud!,” PM Modi tweeted.

The satellite mission was launched from the First Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The mission assumed significance for Tamil Nadu as it carried a satellite indigenously developed by students of a university in Kanyakumari district. Developed by Noorul Islam University, the NIUSAT satellite has been created to provide multi-spectral imagery for agricultural crop monitoring and disaster management support applications.

ISRO launched 29 international customer Nano satellites as part of the commercial arrangements between Antrix Corporation Limited (Antrix), commercial arm of ISRO and international customers. On Thursday, a 28-hour countdown for the launch was started at 5.29 am.

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App</s>After the launch of Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) most powerful indigenous rocket, GSLV Mk III on June 6, 2017, the space agency is all set to launch Cartosat-2 series satellite carried by India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C38) on Friday at 9:20 am. The countdown for the launch began Thursday at 5:29 am. Here’s all you need to know about the Cartosat-2 series satellite:

Cartosat-2 series satellite is an earth observation satellite that provides high-resolution scene-specific spot imagery providing data in various scales. This satellite is sixth in the catosat-2 series, named Cartosat- 2E. It weighs about 714 kg. It is operated and maintained by the Indian Space Research Organisation. The satellite is scheduled to be launched Friday at 9: 20 am along with 30 co-passenger satellites together weighing about 243kg from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, said ISRO. The rocket would sling the satellites into a 505 km polar sun synchronous orbit (SSO). This is PSLV’s 40th flight launching a total of 955 kg satellite. The other 30 mini satellites along with Cartosat 2 comprise 29 Nanosatellites from 14 countries – Austria, Belgium, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America besides a Nanosatellite from India.

Cartosat-2E to take black and white pictures of earth

Cartosat-2E is specially built with panchromatic (PAN) camera to take black and white pictures of the earth in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The satellite can be steered up to 45 degrees along as well as across the track. The images taken from the satellite will be useful for rural and urban spot applications, to identify coastal land use and regulations. The pictures taken will also help monitor the road network and water distribution, the creation of land use maps, change detection to bring out geographical and manmade features and various other Land Information System (LIS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) applications.

In past, India used to buy pictures worth about Rs 2 crores in a year from Ikonos which is multispectral and offered pictures of 80 cm in resolution. Meanwhile, Cartosat 2 series comes with better features and provides a resolution of 100 cm in black and white pictures.

This satellite is similar to the earlier four satellites of the Cartosat-2 series. The first series of Cartosat-2 was launched by PSLV-C7 on 10 January 2007 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre’s FLP at Sriharikota. Cartosat-2A was launched by PSLV-C9 on 28 April 2008 dedicated to the Indian Armed Forces to establish an Aerospace Command. Satellite Cartosat 2B was launched by PSLV-C15 on 12 July 2010 that steered up to 26 degrees. Cartosat 2C was taken off on June 22, 2016. It has a special potential to record weather mapping. Cartosat-2D was launched by PSLV-C37 on 15 February 2017.

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ISRO's PSLV-C38 successfully launches Cartosat-2E and 30 other satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre First Launch Pad in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.