India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C52 injected Earth Observation Satellite EOS-04, into an intended sun-synchronous polar orbit of 529 km altitude at 06:17 hours IST on February 14, 2022, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR, Sriharikota.
PSLV lifted off at 05:59 hours IST from the first launch pad at SHAR. This was the 80th launch vehicle mission from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota; 54th flight of PSLV; and the 23rd flight of PSLV in XL configuration (6 strap-on motors).
The satellite EOS-04 is realized at U R Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru. It is a Radar Imaging Satellite designed to provide high quality images under all weather conditions for applications such as Agriculture, Forestry & Plantations, Soil Moisture & Hydrology and Flood mapping. Weighing about 1710 kg, it generates 2280 W power and has a mission life of 10 years.
The vehicle also placed two small satellites a student satellite (INSPIREsat-1) from the Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology (IIST) in association with the Laboratory of Atmospheric & Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a technology demonstrator satellite (INS-2TD) from ISRO, which is a precursor to India-Bhutan Joint Satellite (INS-2B). Co-passenger satellites were successfully separated from the PSLV in a predetermined sequence.
ISRO Chairman S Somanath congratulated team ISRO for the precision with which the mission was accomplished.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also tweeted to congratulate ISRO. “Congratulations to our space scientists on the successful launch of PSLV C52 mission. EOS-04 satellite will provide high resolution images under all weather conditions for agriculture, forestry and plantations, soil moisture and hydrology as well as flood mapping,” he wrote.