PSLV a workhorse launch vehicle for India

Chennai, Apr 20 (PTI) Reaffirming its workhorse tag,
India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) Wednesday
completed its 17th successful mission in a row when it
launched the country's remote sensing satellite Resourcesat-2
from the spaceport of Sriharikota in southern state Andhra
Pradesh.
Wednesday's successful launch by PSLV-C16, which also
carried two nano satellites, has again demonstrated India's
commercial launch capabilities in the multi-billion dollar
global market in the sector.
After overcoming the lone failure of PSLV-D1 launched
on September 20, 1993, it has been a success story all the way
for the Indian Space Research Organisation's homegrown
four-stage launch vehicle.
Since 1994, PSLV, designed and developed by ISRO's
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in southern city
Thiruvananthapuram, has launched a total of 44 satellites,
including 25 from abroad.
Among the key launches undertaken by the PSLV are
India's maiden moon mission Chandrayaan-I in October 2008,
four Cartosats and Resourcesat-1.
A standard PSLV version is 44 metres tall with a lift
off weight of 295 tonne and designed to launch 1600 kg
satellites in 620 km sun-synchronous polar orbit and 1050 kg
satellite into geo-synchronous transfer orbit.
PSLV has become "a more versatile vehicle for
launching multiple satellites in polar SSOs, Low Earth Orbits
and geosynchronous transfer orbit," ISRO said.
The launch vehicle has four stages using solid and
liquid propulsion systems alternately.
With its variant configurations, PSLV has proved its
multi-payload, multi-mission capability in a single launch and
its geosynchronous launch capability.