The Hindu

Another feat for ISRO; PSLV puts 4 satellites into orbit

10 January 2006

Sriharikota,(PTI): India today added yet another feather to its cap in space technology when its tenth Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C7) put four satellites into orbit.

PSLV C-7 carries four satellites - the 680 kg Indian Remote Sensing Satellite CARTOSAT-2, the 550 kg Space Capsule Recovery Equipment (SRE-1), Indonesia's LAPAN-TUBSAT and Argentina's six kg nanosatellite, PEHUENSAT-1.

CARTOSAT-2 is the 12th in the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite series and carries a state-of-the-art panchromatic camera, with a spatial resolution of one metre and a solid state recorder with a 64 giga byte storage capacity.

Data from this satellite will find application in cartography at the cadastral level, urban and rural infrastructure development and management, apart from Land Information System and Geographical Information System (GIS).

SRE-1, a joint effort between the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and ISRO Satellite Centre, is intended to demonstrate the technology of orbiting platform for performing experiments in microgravity conditions and recovering the same after completion of the experiments.

The SRE-1 takes India into an elite club of countries that have satellite re-entry technology. The space flight will stay in orbit for between 13 and 30 days and is expected to splash down into the Bay of Bengal for recovery.

It will provide important technology inputs in navigation, guidance and control during the re-entry phase, hypersonic aero-thermodynamics for reusable thermal protection system, recovery through deceleration and floatation, besides acquisition of basic technology for reusable launch vehicles.

LAPAN-TUBSAT is an Indonesian earth observation satellite and a technology demonstrator for control systems. The Argentinean nanosatellite, PEHUENSAT-1, will serve the educational, technological and scientific fields.

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