Three satellites placed in orbit

By R.K.Radhakrishnan

SRIHARIKOTA, OCT. 22. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) added one more chapter to its list of successes when its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) placed one of its three payloads at a markedly higher orbit than that of the two other satellites.

The launch vehicle, carrying an Indian Technology Experiments Satellite (TES), the German space agency, DLR's satellite, BIRD (Bispectral Infrared Detection satellite) and a Belgian firm's satellite PROBA (Project for On Board Autonomy), soared skyward from the Sriharikota range (SHAR) here at 10.23 a.m. on a clear, warm, breezy but tense day, watched on by the ISRO top brass and invited guests, including the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and National Security Adviser, Mr. Brajesh Mishra.

Seventeen minutes after take off, ISRO's third operational launch vehicle, the PSLV, first ejected the TES. About 40 seconds later, it was the BIRD's turn to wing away. In the next ``significant maneouvre,'' PROBA was placed 70 km away from the two satellites, 1658 seconds after lift off, at an apogee of 638 km and a perigee of 568 km.

``We have done three satellite launches before, in 1999. But this time it was unique in that a third satellite required an orbit higher than that of the other two. We completed this successfully by burning the last stage reaction control thrusters,'' the ISRO chairman, Dr. K. Kasturirangan, said after the launch.

Preliminary measurements from the satellites indicate that the TES was placed at an orbit of 567 km by 572 km, (achieving an amazing precision of plus or minus four km) and at an inclination of 97.7 degrees (against a target of 97.8 degrees).

The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, in his congratulatory message, said that ``the scientists and engineers and all others involved in the mission'' had ``done the country proud.'' ``It is yet another step forward by us in offering reliable multiple orbit launches, not only for India but also for the global community''.

Tight security and sealed lips marked the unusual run up to the lift off both at the spaceport and ISRO's Bangalore headquarters. The recent stepping up of security measures, following the September 11 attacks, was offered as one explanation. But the main payload, which cost around Rs. 75 crores, was another. The ISRO had said that the TES planned to qualify new technologies that would be used in the next generation remote sensing satellites.

The Spacenews magazine considered TES to be the first Indian attempt at a military spy satellite. It said the TES would carry a beam steering antenna (to prevent eavesdropping on communication), solid state recorder, step-and-stare mode camera (that keeps focussing at the same object while the satellite is in motion), two optical mirrors (for compactness) and a high bit rate data transmission.

Dr. Kasturirangan said that all satellites which are earth observation look at the earth. ``Whether you call it earth observation or spying is a matter of interpretation. All I can say is that this satellite is a forerunner for a high resolution satellite system,'' he said.

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