ISRO uses 4th stage of rocket as orbital platform for Kalamsat satellite: All you need to know On Thursday, ISRO's PSLV C44 lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, carrying India's satellite Microsat-R and students' payload Kalamsat DNA Web Team

Jan 25, 2019, 10:46 AM IST On Thursday, ISRO's PSLV C44 lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, carrying India's satellite Microsat-R and students' payload Kalamsat. In the first mission for the ISRO in 2019, India successfully launched Microsat-R, a military satellite on board its Polar rocket PSLV C44, and Kalamsat, a nanosatellite developed by students. Here's all you need to know.

1. Satellites launched on Thursday

1/5 ISRO launched imaging satellite Microsat-R and Kalamsat, a small communication satellite developed by students and Space Kidz India, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota at 11:37 pm on January 24



2. PSLV-C44

2/5 The two satellites were carried by a new variant of India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket: PSLV-C44



3. Experiments in space

3/5 After PSLV-C44 launches the two satellites, its fourth stage will be converted into a platform for experiments in space. With this uniqueness, PSLV-C44 mission will become the first in the world to use the rocket for a space experiment platform



4. Microsat-R

4/5 Not much is known about the 740-kg satellite called Microsat-R as it is for military use. The imaging satellite, which will capture the required, high-resolution images for the defence organisation, will be placed within 15 minutes after take-off in a polar orbit 274 km away from Earth, ISRO said. The satellite has been developed by DRDO



5. Kalamsat