Isro’s PSLV-C45 Places DRDO Intelligence Satellite Emisat In Orbit

The Indian Space Research Organisation on Monday placed Defence Research Development Organisation-developed electronic intelligence satellite Emisat in orbit. Emisat, weighing 436kg, is meant for helping the military locate hostile radars.

PSLV-C45 — carrying Emisat, 28 foreign satellites and three scientific instruments–lifted off from the second launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 9.27am. Around 17 minutes after lift-off, PSLV placed Emisat in an orbit in a final stage — PS4 — will be restarted and shut down twice, as the rocket manoeuvres to a 504km orbit, The PS4 will place in orbit 28 foreign satellites belonging to the US, Lithuania, Spain and Switzerland.

It is the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle’s 47th flight and is one of longest missionsof the launch vehicle around the Earth, lasting nearly 3 hours. The previous longest mission was that of PSLV-C40 in January 2018 which lasted 2 hours and 21 minutes.

Once all the satellites are in orbit, the mission’s primary goal may be achieved. But for Isro scientists , it is far from over. As the top Isro scientists ma be congratulating one another for PSLV’s success, engineers stay glued to their systems as PS4 heads to the 3rd and final orbit lunging from a 508km elliptical orbit to a 458km circular orbit after the thrusters of the stage are restartes and shut down twice.

Isro uses a muliple-burn technology where the engine will be shut down and restarted multiple times withina short peiod of time to course to the next orbit with the payloads.