INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
(EOS-01) and nine foreign satellites into their designated orbits after a textbook-perfect blast-off from the spaceport at Sriharikota near
Nellore on Saturday.Minutes before the launch, heavy downpour and lightning at the Sriharikota range (SHAR) caused some concern at the
mission control in the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC)
Sivan, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman and senior scientists S
Kunhikrishnan decided to postpone the launch by nine minutes
seconds, EOS-01 was injected into its orbit
Subsequently, nine commercial satellites were released into their intended orbits.After separation, the two solar arrays of EOS-01 were
deployed automatically and the ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network at Bengaluru assumed control of the satellite
amidst the Covid-19 restrictions.EOS-01, earlier known as RISAT-2BR2, is an earth observation satellite intended for applications in
technology demonstrator while the Luxembourg satellites, Kleos (KSM-1A/1B/1C/1D), are designed for maritime applications
The USA satellites, named Lemur (Lemur-1/2/3/4), are meant for multi-mission remote sensing.ISRO used the PSLV-DL variant, which has two
strap-on boosters with 12 tonnes of propellant, for the mission
This variant was first used to launch a Microsat-R satellite on January 24, 2019.This was the 51st launch of the PSLV, the 76th launch
Covid-induced lockdown in March, was a big relief to the ISRO authorities whose plans to launch at least 10 missions this year were affected
ISRO closed the rocket launch viewing gallery for the public and the media was not allowed to witness the launch from the space centre.In
view of the Covid-19 guidelines, former chairmen of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and directors of various ISRO units were
