ISRO Launches Intel Satellite, Days After ASAT

Space agency ISRO successfully launched the electronic intelligence satellite EMISAT along with 28 nano satellites of global customers from Sriharikota today. With this, India seeks to give birth to a new surveillance satellite with a special mission of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV C-45) that has many firsts.

PSLV C-45 was lifted off from the second launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 09:27am.

According to ISRO, EMISAT and the 28 other satellites have been successfully placed in the orbit in a 753.6km altitude. Emisat, weighing 436kg, is meant for helping the military locate hostile radars.

““Today PSLV-C45 has successfully injected the ISRO-made EMISAT in a 748-km orbit as well as 28 customer satellites in a 504-km orbit as sought by the customers. The immediate mission what we are targeting is the PSLV C-45. This mission is special in the sense, for the first time PSLV will have a three-orbit mission in a single flight,” said ISRO chairman K Sivan.

“I am very happy with achieving a double bullseye in space, first with Mission Shakti a direct hit to kill of a satellite at 300 kilometre altitude and now,  with the help of ISRO, India’s EMISAT successfully placed in orbit,” said Dr G Satheesh Reddy, chief of DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation).

“Congratulations to the scientists at @ISRO for the successful PSLV C-45 launch which has put our EMISAT satellite and 28 satellites from 4 countries (USA, Switzerland, Lithuania, Spain) in their respective orbits,” tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The multi-orbit mission totally lasted three hours and released all 29 spacecraft in nearly the first two hours. Overall, three sets of payloads were let out at three different orbits in space.

Also, the Indian Space Research Organisation invited common people to view the launch for the first time in history.