Strapped with India's HysIS, ISRO to Launch PSLV-C43 on November 29
New Delhi: Two weeks after successfully launching a GSLV Mk III rocket carrying the GSAT-29 communication satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up for its PSLV C43 mission on November 29. The launch is scheduled for 9:57 am.
India's main payload aboard the rocket is its latest Earth-observation satellite, the Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite (HysIS). Additionally, 30 micro- and nano-satellites from customer organisations from eight countries – 23 from the US alone – will be HysIS's co-passengers. These satellites have been commercially contracted for launch through Antrix Corporation Limited, ISRO's commercial arm, the space agency said.
According to ISRO, the PSLV – for Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle – will place the 30 satellites in their designated slots at a 504-km orbit in its C43 mission. This will be the 45th flight of the PSLV rocket from Sriharikota.
HysIS weighs 380 kg, while the other overseas satellites have a combined weight of 261 kg. Along with the 23 satellites from the US, Australia, Canada, Columbia, Finland, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Spain are launching one each.
“Colombia has chosen to get its satellite launched by ISRO for the first time,” an official told Financial Express.
The entire mission is expected to be completed in about 112 minutes after liftoff.
A new dimension
“HysIS is an Earth observation satellite developed by ISRO. It is the primary satellite of the PSLV-C43 mission," ISRO said in a statement. "The satellite will be placed in a 636-km polar sun synchronous orbit with an inclination of 97.957º. The mission life of the satellite is five years.”
According to the space agency, the primary goal of HysIS will be to use a critical chip ISRO has been developing for a while now. It will study Earth's surface in the visible, near-infrared and shortwave infrared parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Hyperspectral, or hyspex, imaging is an Earth-observation paradigm that is being experimented with by space scientists around the world. It adds a new dimension to old-school optical imagers, making them more useful when it comes to monitoring crops, weather changes and the environment. The technique also makes it easier to look for oil and minerals. Finally, it doubles up to assist with military surveillance.
With radar-imaging satellites RISAT-1 and 2 launched a few years ago, ISRO had realised the ability to ‘see’ through clouds and the dark, an important feature useful for military and security agencies.
In September, ISRO had launched the PSLV-C42 mission with the UK's NovaSAR and S1-4 Earth-observation satellites. The rocket injected the satellites into space 17 minutes and 45 seconds after liftoff and placed them in a Sun-synchronous orbit 583 km from Earth.
The organisation will next be gearing up for its Moon mission, Chandrayaan-2, slated to be launched on January 3, 2019.
(With inputs from PTI)
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