07 April 2022

An Indian radar satellite and two rideshare payloads rode a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle into orbit, which saw India return its space program to flight after the failure of a different type of rocket in August 201

The mission lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center, located about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Chennai on India’s east coast, at 7:29 p.m. EST Sunday (0029 GMT Monday).

India’s PSLV flew in its most powerful configuration, called the PSLV XL, with six strap-on solid rocket boosters. The boosters and core stage motor, also burning pre-packed solid propellants, sent the rocket downrange over the Bay of Bengal.

Four of the boosters fired to assist the core stage in the first segment of the mission. Two more air-lit boosters ignited 25 seconds later to give the rocket two million pounds of thrust at maximum power.

Six boosters burned out and jettisoned in the first minute-and-a-half of the mission, then the core stage consumed its propellant and separated at T+plus 1 minute, 49 seconds. A fraction of a second later, the rocket’s Vikas liquid-fuelled second stage engine powered up to continue the climb into space.

The PSLV deployed the EOS 4 spacecraft nearly 18 minutes after liftoff. About a minute later, the rocket released its two rideshare payloads. On-board cameras showed the satellites flying free of the rocket, and officials from the Indian Space Research Organization confirmed the PSLV reached an on-target orbit.