This mission by ISRO will witness the space organisation placing playboards in three orbits and conducting space experiments for the first time. (Twitter/@isro) This mission by ISRO will witness the space organisation placing playboards in three orbits and conducting space experiments for the first time. (Twitter/@isro)

The Indian Research Space Organisation (ISRO) Monday launched the EMISAT satellite on onboard the PSLV-C45 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle hosts 28 international nanosatellites — 24 from the US, two from Lithuania and one each from Spain and Switzerland.

The EMISAT satellite, weighing 436 kg and around 50 metres tall, took off from the second launch pad at Sriharikota’s spaceport at 9.27 am, after a 27-hour countdown. About 17 minutes into the launch, ISRO said the EMISAT satellite was successfully placed in its orbit by PSLV-C45.

The EMISAT satellite is aimed at electromagnetic measurement. In a first for the agency, PSLV C-45 will place satellites in three different orbits, which will help facilitate research and experimentation in space.

Among the satellites launched today, is an automatic identification system from ISRO. The maritime satellite application will help capture messages transmitted from ships, reported news agency PTI.

The EMISAT satellite, weighing 436 kg and around 50 metres tall, took off from the second launch pad at Sriharikota’s spaceport at 9.27 am. (Photo: Twitter/ISRO) The EMISAT satellite, weighing 436 kg and around 50 metres tall, took off from the second launch pad at Sriharikota’s spaceport at 9.27 am. (Photo: Twitter/ISRO)

The Automatic Packet Repeating System from AMSAT (Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) is to assist amateur radio operators in tracking and monitoring position data and the Advanced Retarding Potential Analyzer for lonospheric Studies (ARIS) from Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) is to study the structure and composition of the ionosphere.

Lift-off! (Twitter/@isro) Lift-off! (Twitter/@isro)

“PSLV-C45 is a very important milestone for ISRO. It’s not only going to launch our own satellite but also those from other nations. The uniqueness of this mission is, it is going to place satellites in three different orbits. I hope it will be 100 per cent success as usual,” former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair told ANI.

All the satellites are being launched under commercial arrangements, ISRO said.

This is ISRO’s third launch in 2019 after launching the GSAT-31 and the Microsat-R in February, and the 1.2 kg Kalamsat in January.

(With inputs from agencies)

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