ISRO's PSLV-C35 successfully launches SCATSAT-1 with 8 Satellites read more at here www.spinonews.com/index.php/item/1013-isro-s-pslv-c35-successfully-launches-scatsat-1-with-8-satellites

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s PSLV C-35 rocket launched a total of eight satellites, into two different orbits. The satellite will provide wind vector data products for weather forecasting, cyclone detection and tracking services to the users.

Indian Space Research Organisation on Monday successfully placed advanced weather satellite SCATSAT-1 and seven other satellites in orbits in its longest ever launch mission, which spanned over two hours and 15 minutes.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C35) carrying the eight satellites took off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 9.12am. SCATSAT-1, the main payload of PSLV, was placed in the polar sun synchronous orbit at an altitude of about 730km after exactly 17 minutes of the launch.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated ISRO for the successful launch in a series of tweets.

Moment of immense joy & pride for India. Congratulations to @isro on successful launch of PSLV-C35/SCATSAT-1 & 7 co-passenger satellites.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 26, 2016

 

Congrats @isro for setting another example of space cooperation by launching US, Canada, Algeria satellites together with its own satellite.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 26, 2016

The five foreign satellites include three from Algeria and one each from Canada and the United States. The three Algerian satellites — Alsat-1B (103 kg), Alsat-2B (117 kg) and Alsat-1N (7 kg) - are for observation of the earth while the Canadian satellite NLS-19 (8 kg) aims to analyse and reduce space debris. The US satellite Pathfinder (44 kg) is an earth-imaging microsatellite.

For the first time that satellites were placed in two different orbits with a single rocket. Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre director K Sivan said, "The rocket has placed all the satellites in precise orbits."

Image Credits: Times of India

"Based on the actual signals from SCATSAT-1, we have confirmed that solar panels and antenna mechanism have deployed. Now, satellite's various control systems are satisfactorily going on. In a week's time, it'll be operating in radiometer mode," ISRO Chairman AS Kiran Kumar told reporters at a press conference in Sriharikota. 

The ISRO chairman added that "the next launch for us is on October 4th, this is a communication satellite GSAT-18. We are working on our GSLV Mark-3, towards the end of this year we intend to realise this launch."