ISRO Launches PSLV-C52 and Two Small Satellites

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C52 with two smaller co-passenger satellites at 5.59 am on Monday.

The vehicle was launched from the First Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. This was the ISRO's first launch mission of 2022.

PSLV-C52 injected Earth Observation Satellite EOS-04, into an intended sun synchronous polar orbit of 529 km altitude at 06:17 am on February 14 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

This was the 80th launch vehicle mission from Sriharikota; 54th flight of PSLV; and the 23rd flight of PSLV in XL configuration (6 strap-on motors).
The satellite EOS-04 is realised at U R Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru.

EOS-04, weighing 1,710 kg is a Radar Imaging Satellite designed to provide high quality images under all weather conditions for applications such as Agriculture, Forestry and Plantations, Soil Moisture and Hydrology and Flood mapping.

The two smaller co-passenger satellites include a student satellite (INSPIREsat-1) from Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) in association with Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics at University of Colorado, Boulder. It is also contributed by NTU, Singapore and NCU, Taiwan.

The other is a technology demonstrator satellite (INS-2TD) from ISRO, which is a precursor to the India-Bhutan Joint Satellite (INS-2B). Having a thermal imaging camera as its payload, the satellite benefits the assessment of land surface temperature, water surface temperature of wetland or lakes, delineation of vegetation (crops and forest) and thermal inertia (day and night).

ISRO Chairman Shri S Somanath congratulated team ISRO for the precision with which the mission was accomplished.