PSLV LAUNCHES 5 SATELLITES

PSLV LAUNCHES 5 SATELLITES

          The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C15) on Monday 12nd July,2010 put five Satellites in  their precise orbit unequivocally demonstrating its reliability and robustness.

          It was a flawless mission all the way, with the ignition and separation of the rocket’s four stages taking place on time, the heat-shield protecting the satellites falling off on schedule and the satellites flying out of the fourth stage at a velocity of 27,000 km an hour. The on-board computers worked perfectly. This was the 16^th consecutive successful fight of the PSLV.

          ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan called it ‘an excellent launches’ The mission went off extremely well, as expected’

          The five satellites launched were ISRO’s 694- kg Cartosat-2B,116 kg Alsat-2A of Algeria,6.5 kg nano  satellite, named NLS 6.1 AISSAT-! Of apace Flight Laboratory of the university of Toronto, Canada, one kg nano satellite NLS 6.2 TISAT-!, built by the University of Applied Science of Switzerland, and tiny student, built by 35 students of seven  engineering Colleges  in Karnataka and Andra pradesh.

          STORY OF STUDSAT

          Three years ago DVA RaghavaMurthy, project Director, small satellites projects,ISRO satellite centers, Bangalore, was telling a group of College students what a fascinating subject space was and why students should  develop and a satellite.

          His speech was so inspiring that at the end of the meeting a group of students asked him why ISRO should not help them build a satellite.

          Thus began the story of studsat. 35 students belonging to four engineering colleges in Bangalore and three in Hyderabad. Studsat was put in orbit by the PSLV-C-15 from sriharikota on Monday 12 th July.

          Studsat is a pico satellite with an imaging camera and several frontline technologies have been employed in it. Studsat is part of the encouragement given by the ISRO to colleges and universities to study space technology and learn  how to build,nano, micro and pico satellites.

          Studsat employed several frontline technologies that were designed and developed by the 35 students themselves  with ISRO guidance. The project began in August 2008.

          The Satellite has a Camera. This can take pictures in the HAM code pictures of the earth taken by the camera can help in predicting the weather.

          The NMIT contributed Rs 45 lakh for the project six colleges contributed another 45 lakh. The Department of Science and Technology Karnataka government gave Rs 5 lakh for the project.

Prof. John Kurakar