Year’s first mission tomorrow: ISRO to lift off in 2021

Bengaluru, Feb 27: The Indian Space Research Organisation is lining up the launch of its geo-imaging satellite GISAT-1 close on the heels of tomorrow's PSLV-C51 mission.

The launch of GISAT-1 onboard GSLV-F10 rocket was originally planned for March 5 last year, but was postponed a day before the blast-off due to technical reasons.

Secretary in the Department of Space and ISRO Chairman K Sivan told news agency Press Trust of India that the technical issues have been resolved and the delay in the launch was due to COVID-19-induced lockdown which affected normal work.

Sources in the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency told news agency PTI that ISRO is now looking at March-end-early-April time frame for the mission from Sriharikota spaceport, about 100 km from Chennai.

According to ISRO, GISAT-1 will facilitate near real-time observation of the Indian sub-continent, under cloud-free condition, at frequent intervals.

Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F10) will launch GISAT-1 from the Second Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota.

Weighing about 2,268 kg, GISAT-1 is the first state-of-the-art agile earth observation satellite which will be placed in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit by GSLV-F10, according to ISRO officials.

"Subsequently, the satellite will reach the final geostationary orbit using its onboard propulsion system", ISRO had said a few days before the planned launch in March last year.

Tomorrow, India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C51) is scheduled to launch Brazil's Amazonia-1 as primary satellite and 18 co-passenger satellites from first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR, Sriharkota at 10:24 am.

ISRO's first mission of 2021 tomorrow will be a milestone moment for both Brazil and India.