Bangalore (SunstarTV Bureau): Countdown for launching of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C49 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has begun. The launch is scheduled for 3:02 pm at Sriharikota’s first launch pad.
The PSLV rocket with the primary payload of India’s radar-based weather imaging satellite will also carry nine customer satellites from three other countries.
The mission was scheduled for earlier this year but postponed due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The launching gallery that normally hosts hundreds of guests stood vacant, following the Covid pandemic protocol. Media personnel gathering are prohibited.
According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), fuelling of second and fourth stages/engines has finished.
The EOS-01 is the primary payload on the PSLV-C49 mission. The satellite was primarily called RISAT-2BR2, but has been renamed EOS-01 in accordance with ISRO’s new naming scheme for satellites. The satellite will aid forestry, agricultural, and disaster management.
The C49 mission is the 51st mission of the PSLV and the second to be flown in the DL configuration, where instead of four, only two 12 metre-high strap-on boosters with 12 tonne propellant load are used. The proposed launch will be the first space mission for ISRO from India in 2020.
