India's EMISAT satellite and 28 foreign nano satellites were successfully launched onboard Indian Space Research Organisation's trusted workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
The rocket, PSLV-C45, injected the 436-kg EMISAT, aimed at electromagnetic measurement, and 28 co-passenger satellites belonging to Lithuania, Spain, Switzerland and the U.S., into their designated orbits, ISRO said.
The rocket lifted off majestically in a burst of orange flames at 9:27 a.m. from the second launch pad at this spaceport at the end of the 27-hour countdown. ISRO Chief K Sivan and the space agency's scientists broke into cheers as the EMISAT satellite was injected into 749-km orbit, 17 minutes after the lift off.
All the 28 customer satellites, totally weighing about 220 kg, were released into around 504-km orbit, after the fourth stage was reignited and lowered in a complex operation lasting around two hours.
Again, the fourth stage would be reignited and further lowered to 485-km orbit to serve as an orbital platform for carrying out space-borne experiments for the first time in ISRO's history.
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