PSLV-C16 PUTS 3 SATELLITES IN ORBIT

                                        PSLV-C16 PUTS 3 SATELLITES IN ORBIT

   The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on Wednesday 20th April,2011 with the PSLV-C16 scoring a spectacular success by putting three satellites in to orbit with precision.
    It was the PSLV's 17th consecutive successful mission out of  the 18th launch from Sriharikota. At the end of 18 minutes of" a delight ful" flaw less flight, the fourth stage of the rocket shot India's Resource sat-2 in to its Orbit. About 40 seconds later, the fourth stage bulleted again the Youthsat and the x-sat in their orbits. The accuracy was such that the Resource sat-2 reached an orbit at an altitude of 822.9 km against the targeted 822 km.
   Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space centre in thiruvananthapuram P.S Veeraraghavan said the mission's success had established the PSLV as the most reliable and cost effective rocket in the world.

  The remote sensing satellite Resourcesat-2,put up by PSLV-C16 on Wednesday, will become a work horse for the global community" with huge data it will send back on the earths resources, said  R.R Navalgund, Director, Space Application Centre (SAC) Ahmedabad. India's 1206 kg Resource sat-2, the Indo Russian 93-kg Youthsat and 106 kg X-sat from the Nangyang Technological university of Singapore. The Resorucesat-2 is a continuation of Resource sat-1 launched in October,2003, but has enhanced capability.
  Dr Navalgund called the Resource sat-2 an extremely important satellite it had three cameras mounted on a single platform with a high resolution, medium resolution and coarse resolution. The images from the satellite would be useful in monitoring the earth's resource sat-2, and we hope it will meet the requirements of the entire globe'
  The youthsat's three payloads one from Russia and two from India would be useful in studying the solar x-ray and gamma ray fluxes, and the influence of the activities in the sun on the upper layers of the earth's atmosphere.  The X- sat is a remote-sensing satellite than process the image it takes and send more refined images to the ground. The PSLV C-16 and Resource sat-2 and Youth sat together cost Rs 250 crores. The ISRO launched the X-sat on a commercial basis, The ISRO- built communication satellite, GSAT-8 weighing 3,200 kg, will be put in orbit on May 19, 2011 by the Ariane vehicle of Arianespace from French Guiana. P.S Veeraraghavan, Director Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre said ISRO would launch several satellite from Sriharicotta in the coming month

                                                                                                           Prof. John Kurakar