11 facts about PSLV-C28
The countdown for the July 10 rocket launch that would carry five British satellites has begun. According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the 62 hours and 30 minutes countdown for the July 10th night launch of rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) XL variant began at 7.28 a.m. on Wednesday.
The rocket is scheduled to blast off at 9.58 p.m. on July 10 from the first launch pad with five satellites together weighing around 1,440 kg, for an undisclosed fee.
| 1 | This is the 30th flight of the PSLV since it became operational in 1995, with one early failure |
| 2 | It is launching 5 UK satellites on Friday at 9:58 p.m. |
| 3 | The satellites totally weigh 1,440 kg, the heaviest paid PSLV service to date |
| 4 | Launch site Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota is in Andhra Pradesh and about 70 km from Chennai |
| 5 | Also its ninth flight in the modified `extended' configuration, called XL |
| 6 | ISRO has so far launched about 40 small to medium size foreign satellites for a fee |
| 7 | Of today's payloads, 3 are identical mini satellites, weighing 447 kg each |
| 8 | They are DMC-3 1, 2 and 3 optical earth observation satellites; 91-kg CBNT-1 micro-satellite; and the 7 kg De-orbitSail |
| 9 | DMC-3 satellites are each 3m high. ISRO designed a circular launcher adaptor and a triangular deck to fit them in |
| 10 | The late-night flight helps the UK operator to get control over them in orbit at suitable time |
| 11 | A nearly 63-hour coundown began on July 8 at 7.28 a.m. |
