PSLV- C48, RISAT-2BR1 and 9 Foreign Satellites: Important Facts and Features

Do you know that PSLV-C48 is the 50th mission of PSLV that successfully injected India’s newest defence satellite RISAT-2BRI in a 576 km orbit from the First Launch Pad (FLP) of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota?

Also, PSLV-C48 carried 9 customer satellites including Israel(1), Italy(1), Japan(1), and USA(6) as co-passengers. These satellites were launched under a commercial arrangement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL). Let us tell you that PSLV-C48 is the second flight of PSLV in the 'QL' configuration with 4 strap-on motors. And is the 75th launch vehicle mission from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota and 37th launch from the First Launch Pad.

About PSLV

Height           : 44 m

Diameter      : 2.8 m

Number of Stages  : 4

Lift off Mass : 320 tonnes (XL)

Variants        : 3 (PSLV-G, PSLV - CA, PSLV - XL)

First Flight    : September 20, 1993

As we know that Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is the third generation launch vehicle of India. It is equipped with liquid stages and is the first vehicle of this kind. The first successful launch took place in October 1994 and emerged as the reliable and versatile workhorse launch vehicle of India.

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The specifications of PSLV-C48 mission are as follows:

Pay load: RISAT-2BR1

Orbit Height: 576 km

Inclination (Deg): 37

Launch Pad: First launch Pad (FLP)

- It is 2nd flight of PSLV with 'QL' variant.

About RISAT-2BR1

It is a radar imaging earth observation satellite. Its function is to help in agriculture, forestry, and disaster management support.

- The lift-off weight of RISAT-2BR1 is about 628 Kg.

- It will be placed in the low-earth orbit of 576 km at an inclination of 37 degrees.

- It has a capability of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) that will provide all the capabilities of weather where radar surveillance is concerned.

- By using SAR, it will penetrate clouds and observe images on the ground by sampling distance of around 35 cms.

- The payload is X-Band Radar.

- The life of the mission is 5 years.

 About International Customer Satellites

They are launched under commercial arrangements with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).

Therefore, India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C48) launch is successful by ISRO carrying RISAT-2BR1 and 9 international customer satellites.

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