PSLV-C4 was the fourth operational launch and overall seventh mission of the
PSLV
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is an expendable medium-lift launch vehicle designed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites ...
program. This launch was also the forty-eight launch by
Indian Space Research Organisation since its first mission on 1 January 1962. The vehicle carried and injected India's first dedicated
Meteorological satellite
A weather satellite or meteorological satellite is a type of Earth observation satellite that is primarily used to monitor the weather and climate of the Earth. Satellites can be polar orbiting (covering the entire Earth asynchronously), or g ...
,
Kalpana-1 (originally called MetSat) into the
Geosynchronous transfer orbit
A geosynchronous transfer orbit or geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) is a type of geocentric orbit. Satellites that are destined for geosynchronous (GSO) or geostationary orbit (GEO) are (almost) always put into a GTO as an intermediate step f ...
. PSLV-C4 was launched at 15:53 hours
IST on 12 September 2002 from
Satish Dhawan Space Centre
Satish Dhawan Space Centre - SDSC (formerly Sriharikota Range - SHAR) is a rocket launch centre ( spaceport) operated by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is located in Sriharikota, Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh. Sriharikota ...
(then called "Sriharikota Launching Range").
Mission highlights
*Fourth operational launch of the
PSLV
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is an expendable medium-lift launch vehicle designed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites ...
program.
*Overall seventh mission of the
PSLV
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is an expendable medium-lift launch vehicle designed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites ...
program.
*First Indian
spaceflight
Spaceflight (or space flight) is an application of astronautics to fly spacecraft into or through outer space, either with or without humans on board. Most spaceflight is uncrewed and conducted mainly with spacecraft such as satellites in o ...
to inject a satellite in the
Geosynchronous transfer orbit
A geosynchronous transfer orbit or geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) is a type of geocentric orbit. Satellites that are destined for geosynchronous (GSO) or geostationary orbit (GEO) are (almost) always put into a GTO as an intermediate step f ...
.
*PSLV-C4 carried and injected India's first dedicated
Meteorological satellite
A weather satellite or meteorological satellite is a type of Earth observation satellite that is primarily used to monitor the weather and climate of the Earth. Satellites can be polar orbiting (covering the entire Earth asynchronously), or g ...
,
Kalpana-1.
Mission parameters
* Mass:
** ''Total liftoff weight:''
** ''Payload weight:''
* Overall height:
* Propellant:
** ''First stage:''
Solid
Solid is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being liquid, gas, and plasma). The molecules in a solid are closely packed together and contain the least amount of kinetic energy. A solid is characterized by structural ...
HTPB based (138.0 + 54 tonnes)
** ''Second stage:''
Liquid UDMH
Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH; 1,1-dimethylhydrazine, НДМГ or codenamed Geptil) is a chemical compound with the formula H2NN(CH3)2 that is used as a rocket propellant. It is a colorless liquid, with a sharp, fishy, ammonia-like smell ...
+ (40.6 tonnes)
** ''Third stage:''
Solid
Solid is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being liquid, gas, and plasma). The molecules in a solid are closely packed together and contain the least amount of kinetic energy. A solid is characterized by structural ...
HTPB based (7.6 tonnes)
** ''Fourth stage:''
Liquid MMH +
MON (2.5 tonnes)
* Engine:
** ''First stage:'' S139
** ''Second stage:''
Vikas
** ''Third stage:''
** ''Fourth stage:'' 2 x PS-4
*
Thrust
Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's third law. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction, the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction to be applied to that sys ...
:
** ''First stage:'' 4,628 + 662 x 6
kN
** ''Second stage:'' 725
kN
** ''Third stage:'' 260
kN
** ''Fourth stage:'' 7.4 x 2
kN
* Duration: 1,211 seconds
Payload
PSLV-C4 carried and deployed India's first dedicated
Meteorological satellite
A weather satellite or meteorological satellite is a type of Earth observation satellite that is primarily used to monitor the weather and climate of the Earth. Satellites can be polar orbiting (covering the entire Earth asynchronously), or g ...
,
Kalpana-1 into the
Geosynchronous transfer orbit
A geosynchronous transfer orbit or geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) is a type of geocentric orbit. Satellites that are destined for geosynchronous (GSO) or geostationary orbit (GEO) are (almost) always put into a GTO as an intermediate step f ...
.
See also
*
Indian Space Research Organisation
*
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is an expendable medium-lift launch vehicle designed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites ...
References
{{Expendable launch systems
Spacecraft launched in 2002
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle