India Space Agency launches 3 more Sattelites

[Guest guest]

Three satellites placed in orbit

By R.K.Radhakrishnan

SRIHARIKOTA, OCT. 22. The Indian Space Research

Organisation (ISRO) added one more chapter to its list of

successes when its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)

placed one of its three payloads at a markedly higher orbit than

that of the two other satellites.

 

The launch vehicle, carrying an Indian Technology Experiments

Satellite (TES), the German space agency, DLR's satellite, BIRD

(Bispectral Infrared Detection satellite) and a Belgian firm's

satellite PROBA (Project for On Board Autonomy), soared

skyward from the Sriharikota range (SHAR) here at 10.23 a.m. on

a clear, warm, breezy but tense day, watched on by the ISRO top

brass and invited guests, including the Principal Secretary to the

Prime Minister and National Security Adviser, Mr. Brajesh Mishra.

 

Seventeen minutes after take off, ISRO's third operational launch

vehicle, the PSLV, first ejected the TES. About 40 seconds later, it

was the BIRD's turn to wing away. In the next ``significant

maneouvre,'' PROBA was placed 70 km away from the two

satellites, 1658 seconds after lift off, at an apogee of 638 km and

a perigee of 568 km.

 

``We have done three satellite launches before, in 1999. But this

time it was unique in that a third satellite required an orbit higher

than that of the other two. We completed this successfully by

burning the last stage reaction control thrusters,'' the ISRO

chairman, Dr. K. Kasturirangan, said after the launch.

 

Preliminary measurements from the satellites indicate that the

TES was placed at an orbit of 567 km by 572 km, (achieving an

amazing precision of plus or minus four km) and at an

inclination of 97.7 degrees (against a target of 97.8 degrees).

 

The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, in his

congratulatory message, said that ``the scientists and engineers

and all others involved in the mission'' had ``done the country

proud.'' ``It is yet another step forward by us in offering reliable

multiple orbit launches, not only for India but also for the global

community''.

 

Tight security and sealed lips marked the unusual run up to the

lift off both at the spaceport and ISRO's Bangalore headquarters.

The recent stepping up of security measures, following the

September 11 attacks, was offered as one explanation. But the

main payload, which cost around Rs. 75 crores, was another.

The ISRO had said that the TES planned to qualify new

technologies that would be used in the next generation remote

sensing satellites.

 

 

The Spacenews magazine considered TES to be the first Indian

attempt at a military spy satellite. It said the TES would carry a

beam steering antenna (to prevent eavesdropping on

communication), solid state recorder, step-and-stare mode

camera (that keeps focussing at the same object while the

satellite is in motion), two optical mirrors (for compactness) and

a high bit rate data transmission.

 

Dr. Kasturirangan said that all satellites which are earth

observation look at the earth. ``Whether you call it earth

observation or spying is a matter of interpretation. All I can say is

that this satellite is a forerunner for a high resolution satellite

system,'' he said.