Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle ready to be launched on 12th July 2010

After a 2 month delay, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, or PSLV C-15, will be launched from the spaceport in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The flight was postponed on the 9th May due to a drop in pressure from a contamincation of liquids in the second stage. After the second stage was transported back to the LPSC (Liquid Propulsion Systems Center) for fixing, it is now set to make its ascend on the 12th July carrying 5 satellites.

The first is Cartosat – 2B from India which is for mapping purposes and weighs 694 kg. It will be set into polar sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 630 km. The launch vehicle will then send the second satellite, Alsat into orbit from Algeria, which weighs 116 kg. The third and fourth are two small nano satellites, NLS-6.1 and MLS 6.2 from Switzerland and Canada, wieghing only 6kg and 1kg.

The last is a tiny pico satellite (Studsat) built by a group of engineering students from Karnataka and Andrah Pradesh. It weighs less than a kilogram and is supposed to help students understand how space technology works and allow them to gain exposure to the building of this kind of communication system.