PSLV-QL C48 - RISAT-2BR1 & 9 cubesats - FLP - 11 December 2019 (09:55 UTC)

[Steven Pietrobon]

Going back and listening to the URSC Director, I'm pretty sure he means that RISAT 2BR2 is launching in two months, as he previously mentioned that RISAT 2BR1 is the second satellite in the series.

[chota]

Onboard camera view

https://www.isro.gov.in/pslv-c48-risat-2br1/pslv-c48-liftoff-and-onboard-camera-view

[TheVarun]

 Nice launch and mission!  Why the huge discrepancy between the original schedule for RISAT-2BRR2 and the new reputed date of February? Maybe the preparation for SSLV-1?

[jcm]

Full set of separation times for the record:

[K210]

Nice launch and mission!  Why the huge discrepancy between the original schedule for RISAT-2BRR2 and the new reputed date of February? Maybe the preparation for SSLV-1?

Because it will be another 2 months before RISAT-2BR2 is ready for launch

[Rondaz]

Confirmed that Tyvak-0129 is the NASA-ARC/Busek PDT-1 pathfinder demo test

https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1204860228543680512

[K210]

Liftoff Shots

[Galactic Penguin SST]

Hmm...I thought the main satellite is supposed to be a secret....

https://twitter.com/isro/status/1205102264580329478

[Steven Pietrobon]

Hmm...I thought the main satellite is supposed to be a secret....

They showed the satellite during the webcast, so I guess ISRO decided that showing what it looked like with the antenna deployed wasn't a big deal.

[seshagirib]

Nice video of the launch,  as viewed from Chennai

[PM3010]

Nice video of the launch,  as viewed from Chennai

Man, the separation events looks awesome! Thank god, it wasn't gloomy on the day of launch here in Chennai.

[K210]

Nice video of the launch,  as viewed from Chennai

These amutear videographers are doing a better job than DD. DD camera person cut off right at the moment of stage seperation in the livestream.

[K210]

Hmm...I thought the main satellite is supposed to be a secret....

https://twitter.com/isro/status/1205102264580329478

It's application is indeed a "secret". On the other hand ISRO historically has not been shy about posting images of military satellites (GSAT-7,GSAT-7A,Hysis and EMISAT are some examples) so i dont find this all too surprising. What i do find odd though it why this is not on their official website but is on some random twitter post.

[chota]

Watch the successful deployment of Radial Rib Antenna of #RISAT2BR1 in orbit as observed by onboard camera.

https://twitter.com/isro/status/1206457891516846081

[zubenelgenubi]

Has anyone answered, or found the answer to, why a PSLV-QL was used on this launch, as opposed to Core Alone (or DL for that matter)?

[ZachS09]

Has anyone answered, or found the answer to, why a PSLV-QL was used on this launch, as opposed to Core Alone (or DL for that matter)?

I don’t know the answer, and I was asking the same question.

My logic is that the lighter the payload, the less capable variant of a rocket family you use to launch it.

[russianhalo117]

Has anyone answered, or found the answer to, why a PSLV-QL was used on this launch, as opposed to Core Alone (or DL for that matter)?

I don’t know the answer, and I was asking the same question.

My logic is that the lighter the payload, the less capable variant of a rocket family you use to launch it.

Qualification campaign to satisfy a future payload??

[jcm]

Circling back to this 2019 mission:
There was discussion that the rocket had larger capacity than was used.
This image looks to me like a dual launch adapter rather than the usual payload adapter for single-main-payload missions. There is a cataloged debris object 2019-089G which SpaceTrack tags with radar cross section = LARGE.
It has been pointed out to me that the inclination versus time of object G shows a change in May 2020 suggesting maybe that something finished outgassing?
Maybe there was a dummy second payload that replaced a planned second primary payload?
Interested in other interpretations.

[Skyrocket]

Circling back to this 2019 mission:
There was discussion that the rocket had larger capacity than was used.
This image looks to me like a dual launch adapter rather than the usual payload adapter for single-main-payload missions. There is a cataloged debris object 2019-089G which SpaceTrack tags with radar cross section = LARGE.
It has been pointed out to me that the inclination versus time of object G shows a change in May 2020 suggesting maybe that something finished outgassing?
Maybe there was a dummy second payload that replaced a planned second primary payload?
Interested in other interpretations.

The Japanese QPS-SAR 1 (Izanagi) was carried inside the DLA (and IIRC also 1HOPSat-TD, too).