Nellore: The 48-hour countdown for the launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle that will carry 20 satellites including the earth observation satellite Cartosat-2 began at 9.26 am on Monday. The launch has been scheduled for June 22 at 9.26 am/
The rocket in its 36th flight (PSLV-C34) will launch the 727.5-kg Cartosat-2 and 19 co-passenger satellites together weighing about 560 kg at lift-off. The satellites will be placed 505 km above the earth in a polar sun synchronous orbit. In this orbit, the satellite is in constant sunlight.
The rocket will be launched from the Second Launch Pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR. It will be the 14th flight of the PSLV in its XL configuration, using strap-on motors.
The co-passenger satellites are from the US, Canada, Germany and Indonesia apart from two satellites from Indian educational institutions.
The imagery sent by the Cartosat-2 will be useful for cartographic, urban and rural applications, coastal land use and regulation, utility management like road network monitoring, water distribution, creation of land use maps, precision study.
