NELLORE: Stage is set for the launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C52, at 5.59 am on Monday from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota.
Popularly known as the workhorse launch vehicle of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), PSLV will carry an Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-04) and two small satellites as co-passengers.
They include one student satellite (INSPIRESat-1) from Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology (IIST) in association with Laboratory of Atmospheric & Space Physics at University of Colorado, Boulder, and a technology demonstrator satellite (INS-2TD) from Isro, which is a precursor to India-Bhutan Joint Satellite (INS-2B).
EOS-04 is a radar imaging satellite designed to provide high-quality images under all weather conditions for applications such as agriculture, forestry & plantations, soil moisture & hydrology and flood mapping.
The countdown process of 25 hours and 30 minutes leading to the launch would commence at 4.29 am on Sunday after authorisation by the launch authorisation board.
The mission readiness review committee and launch authorisation board are meeting on Saturday evening to take a final call and give green signal for the countdown.
ISRO Chairman Dr S. Somanath reached SCSD, Shar, on Saturday and inspected the preparations for the first launch under his chairmanship.
Sources in ISRO said that bio-bubble arrangements had been made at SDSC to isolate the engineers of various departments involved in the launch, in view of Covid threat, to stay back at Sriharikota and go home only after completion of the work entrusted to them.