Indian Space Research Organisation is using the most powerful configuration of its rocket PSLV to launch a communication satellite from Sriharikota on July 15 as it braces for the nearly Rs 200 crore mission. ISRO opted for this step as there is a large unfulfilled and pressing demand for communication transponders.
Earlier also PSLV was used once to launch a small Geosynch satellite Kalpana-1 in 2002 apart from Chandrayaan, a mission to Moon in 2008.
"We wanted to create (transponder) capacity at the earliest. That's why we used the PSLV for the purpose (of launching a communication satellite), and achieve whatever is possible...best possible by a PSLV with XL configuration. That's the most powerful configuration," as per ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan.
The GSAT-12 "fast-track" satellite with a mass of 1410 kg, has 12 Extended C-band transponders. It is slated to be injected into space by PSLV-C17 after the launch from Sriharikota spaceport slated between 16.48 hours and 17.08 hours on July 15.
The countdown would start on July 13 at 12.18 hours (Indian Standard Time). The countdown period for the PSLV is 15Hrs and 13 mnts.
Dooordarshan generally transmits the launch activity live, and we have posted a tutorial on what to watch in this transmission in our education blog here
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