GSLV-FO2 to 'take off' on its second flight

Sriharikota, July 9 (UNI) The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, which in its second operational flight (GSLV-FO2), is scheduled to put India's latest Communication satellite INSAT 4-C in orbit from the sophisticated second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre(SDC) here tomorrow, is made of three stages.

It is 49 metres tall and weighs 414 tonnes. The first stage comprising a core motor with 138 tonne of solid propellent, has four motors strapped around and fuelled by hypergolic liquid propellants. The strap on motors will boost the vehicle's thrust at the time of the take off.

The second stage, which works on liquid fuel has 39 tonne of hypergolic liquid propellants like the first stage.

The third stage is a cryogenic stage, propelled by cryogenic propellants, 12.6 tonne of Liquid Oxyge(LOX) and Liquid Hydrogen (LH2). The cryogenic engine was supplied by Russia.

GSLV-FO2 was built at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre at Thiruvananthapuram.

The state of the art second launch pad at SDC was first used for a launch on May 5, 2005. A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) placed CARTOSAT-1 and HAMSAT in orbit on that mission, it may be recalled.

UNI VV MSJ BST1540