It is ‘a great recognition’ for the country that foreign clients are vying to launch their satellites aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, Anil Kakodkar said on Thursday.
Inaugurating the Heat and Mass Transfer Conference at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thumba, here, Mr. Kakodkar congratulated the ISRO team on the successful PSLV C-29 mission which placed six Singapore satellites in orbit on Wednesday.
The C-29 commercial flight was the PSLV’s 31st consecutive, successful mission. “The PSLV has proven itself a great workhorse; shall we say ‘never fail’ launcher? It is a fantastic technological achievement,” he said. The former AEC chairman said the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Space have the same umbilical cord and both the departments help each other.
In a first for ISRO, the engine on the upper stage of the PSLV was shut off and re-started while placing the six Singapore satellites in orbit. The technique is useful when satellites have to be positioned in multiple orbits, Director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, S. Somanath said. “It was tried for the first time and was a success,” he added.