The Indian space agency’s workhorse rocket, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, was successfully launched on Wednesday morning.
The launch marks the country’s first tentative steps towards a manned mission into space.
The success of today’s launch on the coast of Bay of Bengal in Andhra Pradesh also makes a good case for ISRO to get the Rs 16,000 crore it requires for its proposed manned mission.
The rocket has placed four satellites - two Indian and one each from Argentina and Indonesia - in the polar orbit.
Significant milestone
Wednesday’s launch is a test for India’s usage of re-entry technology, the success of which will be known after two weeks when the capsule is expected to re-enter Earth.
The launch erases the memory of the failed larger rocket launch in the summer of 2006.
The world watched India’s successful launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle or PSLV.
As the rocket disappeared into the sky, putting into orbit four satellites it was carrying, scenes of jubilation and hugging broke out in the control room on the ground in Sriharikota.
A significant milestone had been achieved in India’s space endeavour.
The launch followed a text book pattern, with the smaller rocket performing exactly the way it was meant to in its 9th consecutive successful launch.
Objectives achieved
According to ISRO, it achieved all its objectives:
- Four satellites were launched together - two Indian and one each from Argentina and Indonesia
- Cartosat, a sophisticated mapping satellite which can differentiate objects less than one metre apart, has been put in orbit
- The launch also initiates India’s first attempt at mastering re-entry technology - launching a satellite and bringing it back, to Earth, after 10 days
- Locally developed hi-tech ceramic tiles will protect the capsule from burning at the point it enters the Earth’s atmosphere
With this success ISRO has erased the memories of the failure of India’s big rocket - the Geostationary Launch Vehicle last July.
If the Space Capsule Recovery Experiment goes as planned, India will become the fourth country after Russia, America and China to have mastered the hi-tech area.
There was a lot riding on the launch. For 17 minutes India’s top scientists watched with bated breath as the rocket chattered its course. At the end of it smiles broke out on every face, as the launch had been perfect.
All eyes are now set for the early 2008 launch of India’s maiden mission to the moon on a similar vehicle.
here is the link
http://www.ndtv.com/template/template.asp?template=Sciencetech&slug=India+successfully+launches+PSLV&id=21137&callid=0&category=National
I will have it soon. 