Bengaluru: ISRO launched the PSLV-C51 / Amazonia-1 mission from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. India’s PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) C-51 took off on Sunday, carrying Brazil’s Amazonia-1 and 18 other satellites. After completion of the countdown of 26 hours, the PSLV-C51 flew from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Center, about 100 km from Chennai, at around 10.24 am.
The primary satellite Amazonia-1 is likely to be placed in orbit about 18 minutes after the launch, while the other 18 satellites will be sent into orbit in the next two hours. These satellites also include the Space Kidz India (SKI) satellite of Chennai. The top panel of this spacecraft has a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi engraved on it.
Earlier, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) had stated in a statement that PSLV-C51 is the 53rd mission of PSLV.
PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) is the first dedicated commercial mission of C51 / Amazonia-1 ISRO’s commercial arm NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).
The statement about Amazonia-1 states that the satellite will provide remote sensing data to users for monitoring deforestation in the Amazon region and analysis of diverse agriculture in the Brazilian region and further strengthen the existing infrastructure.
