ISRO eyes to shrug off setback with Cartosat launch in December

On August 31, a PSLV-C39 flight carrying IRNSS-1H navigation satellite was unsuccessful.

The Indian Space Research Organisation plans to launch a satellite on board Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in December, the first since its unsuccessful mission to orbit a navigation spacecraft nearly one-and-a-half months ago.

Indian Space Research Organisation's PSLV C38, carrying earth observation satellite Cartosat-2 Series and 30 co-passenger satellites of various countries, lifts off from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota on June 23, 2017. (PTI File Photo)

The ISRO is getting ready for the Cartosat-2 series satellite mission in mid-December from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre or Sriharikota High Altitude Range (SHAR), an official of the space agency told PTI.

This would be the third satellite in the Cartosat-2 series.

In February this year, PSLV-C37 launched the first Cartosat-2 series satellite along with 103 co-passenger satellites in a single flight.

In June, India’s workhorse launch vehicle launched the second one along with 30 co-passenger satellites -- the 39th consecutively successful mission of PSLV.

But a PSLV-C39 flight carrying IRNSS-1H navigation satellite on August 31 was unsuccessful, in what is seen as a setback to ISRO.

“There will be a few foreign co-passenger satellites...about 15 to 20 (nano satellites),” he said.

The total number of customer satellites from abroad placed in orbit by PSLV so far is 209, according to ISRO.