Three Indian and 101 foreign satellites scheduled for space on February 15
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is opening 2017 with a world record. The space agency is set to launch 104 satellites at one go. ISRO’s PSLV-C37 rocket will launch the satellites on February 15 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
Out of the 104 earth-observation satellites, three are from India, 88 from US and the rests are from Germany, Israel, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates. Interestingly, all US satellites are from a single earth imaging company, Planet.
Planet is an earth observation company formed by former NASA scientists in 2010 and this is the second time it chooses PSLV to launch its cubesats. In June last year, it got its earlier set of 12 ‘Doves’ launched along with India’s CartoSat-2C.
The 88 cubesats weigh around 11 pounds each and are called Doves or Flock 3p, it is all part of the California-based company’s earth observation constellation of 100 satellites. According to one of its executives, this will be the largest number of cubesats to be flown in a single launch for Planet too.
“We have tentatively decided to launch the satellites at one go around 9 a.m. into the sun-synchronous orbit, about 500 km [about 310 miles] above the earth,” an ISRO official told IANS.
“A 320-tonne rocket – Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C37) – will launch the satellites with a combined weight of 1,500 kg [about 3306 pounds], including the 650 kg [1433 pounds] Cartosat -2D and two nano-satellites (INS – 1A and INS -1B) weighing 15 kg [33 pounds] each,” the official added.
The constellation of 88 satellites of the US earth observation firm would be separated from the rocket in different directions in order to avoid collision, when being deployed in the orbit.
At present, Russia’s Dnepr holds the record for lifting 37 satellites to orbit in June 2014 and ISRO’s PSLV successfully launched 20 satellites last year.
“The countdown will begin 48 hours before the lift off after the launch authorization board gives final clearance for the mission keeping in view the weather conditions and other preparedness at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre,” an ISRO official told IANS.