The Indian Space Research Organisation or ISRO will today launch the radar imaging earth observation satellite RISAT-2BR1 on board the PLSV-C48 rocket from its spaceport in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota, the space agency said. The workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, on its 50th mission, PSLV-C48, is scheduled to lift off from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 3:25 pm today, ISRO said.
Today’s launch will mark a significant milestone for the space agency as it would be the 50th flight of the PSLV and also the 75th vehicle mission from Sriharikota. The 628 kg radar imaging Earth observation satellite is meant for applications in various fields like agriculture, forestry and disaster management support.
The countdown for the launch of #PSLVC48/#RISAT2BR1 mission commenced today at 1640 Hrs (IST) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota.#ISRO pic.twitter.com/fJYmCFRpJc
— ISRO (@isro) December 10, 2019
The PSLV-C48 mission will also place nine customer satellites in orbit. These include one each from Israel, Italy, Japan and six from the United States. Ahead of the launch, the space agency said the satellites are being launched under a commercial arrangement with NewSpace India Limited.
The mission life of RISAT2-BR1 is five years, ISRO said. RISAT-2BR1 follows the successful launch of RISAT-2B on May 22.