PSLV C9 - Cartosat-2A & others - April 28 2008

• PSLV C9 - Cartosat-2A & others - April 28 2008 by sammie on 23 Jul, 2007 12:45
• This launch is coming up and warrants its own thread.
  
  Latest is that the launch will take place in September. A number of satellites will be launched:
  *Cartosat-2A (India - Remote Sensing)
  *TecSar (Israel - Radar)
  *CanX-2; AAU-Cubsat 2; Cute-1.7; APD-2; Compass-1; Delfi-C3; SEEDS-2 (cubesats from various countries)
  
  Especially the Israeli sat has received a lot of attention, some positive others negative. It's the second commercial satellite that will be launched by India. Israel chose the PSLV after reliability issues with it's own Shavit, and PSLV offers increased performance, enhancing the performance of the satellite. On the otherhand the Muslim minority in India has expressed their discontent with this launch, additional security measures have been taken to prevent 'accidents'
  
  some additional information can be found source
• #1 by jacqmans on 24 Jul, 2007 07:37
• Website of the Dutch Delfi-C3 satellite:
  
  http://www.delfic3.nl/
  
  
  Images of the Dutch Delfi-C3 satellite can be seen here:
  
  http://gallery.citg.tudelft.nl/album759
  
  
  Delfi-C3 press presentation downloads can be made here:
  
  http://www.delfic3.nl/press/
  
  
  
  
  
• #2 by jacqmans on 31 Oct, 2007 07:51
• Official launch window announced
   
  The Delfi-C3 team has received an official launch window from ISRO regarding the launch of PSLV-C9.
  
  The official window runs from the 7th of January to the 10th of January 2008. This means that the launch of Delfi-C3 slips once again. The new launch window, however, is the first official message we have received regarding a launchdate and accounts for both the weather and the launch of the preceding PSLV.
  
   In the meantime a smaller Delfi-C3 team continues to work on testing and verification with the use of a duplicate flight stack that is currently in our cleanroom.
   
  
• #3 by William Graham on 31 Oct, 2007 20:11
• Quote

  The new launch window...accounts for...the launch of the preceding PSLV.

  Interesting, this implies that C10 will launch in 2007. Some sources reported that C10 had been delayed to 2008.
• #4 by Kekez on 07 Nov, 2007 18:06
• The current launch window for PSLV C9 is Jan 7-10, 2008. However, that may still change in the next week or so.
• #5 by Satori on 07 Nov, 2007 22:01
• Quote

  Kekez - 7/11/2007  1:06 PM
  
  The current launch window for PSLV C9 is Jan 7-10, 2008. However, that may still change in the next week or so.

  
  Are we talking about a launch delay? Any reason for the change on the launch window?
• #6 by William Graham on 16 Dec, 2007 18:07
• There is now a countdown clock on http://www.delfic3.nl/
  
  It seems to suggest that launch will be at about 22:00 GMT on 24 January 2008.
• #7 by William Graham on 03 Jan, 2008 10:14
• Its been delayed again. See http://www.delfic3.nl/
  
  Launch is now scheduled for 14 February, at 04:00 GMT.
• #8 by Satori on 13 Jan, 2008 14:20
• According to http://www.delfic3.nl the launch will take place on March 7.
• #9 by William Graham on 18 Jan, 2008 17:30
• Launch has been moved up to 03:53 GMT on 4 March.
  http://www.delfic3.nl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=89&Itemid=121
• #10 by fightingfalcon on 23 Jan, 2008 09:01
• ISRO may get more satellite launch contracts
  ISRO’s arm Antrix Corporation may be snapping up some more satellite launch contracts from global customers.
  
  The ISRO Chairman, Dr G. Madhavan Nair, indicated as much. “We expect that in the near term, two major contracts will come through. We have already signed a contract for half a dozen small satellites,” he told Business Line. The small or nanosats have been built by Canadian and Dutch universities.
  
  One of the prime but domestic contracts, which may be coming up in February, is Cartosat-2A. Mr Nair said the spacecraft, built at the Bangalore satellite centre, “has just been shifted today”. The earth observation satellite is a Ministry of Defence mission, with no details coming from ISRO.
  
  He was speaking from Chennai hours after a PSLV rocket put an Israeli reconnaissance satellite, the 300-kg TecSAR/ Polaris, into orbit from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
  
  There are reports that the launch contracts of two more upcoming TecSARs may also be coming to Antrix. Mr Nair merely said, “They [Israel] are happy with this launch perfect. If they come with a request for any other launch, we will have to see the merit of the case, if it is attractive and comes with a good price, etc.”
  
  Mr Nair admitted a delay in the launch of TecSAR. “We had some technical problems around September-October. By the time we resolved them, we got into the severe monsoon period of Sriharikota.”
• #11 by Jirka Dlouhy on 04 Apr, 2008 18:57
• According to AFP is launch of PSLV with Cartosat-2A and cluster of microsatelltes planed at 28  April
• #12 by Jirka Dlouhy on 04 Apr, 2008 19:44
• For example art peinture of CAN-X2

  ---

  
• #13 by anik on 19 Apr, 2008 06:42
• http://www.utias-sfl.net/NLS-4/
  
  Launch Campaign Day 16 - April 17
  NLS-5 (CanX-6/NTS) has been integrated to the LV, underneath the Cartosat-2A primary. All remove before flight items has been removed from the CanX-6/NTS and its XPOD. LV wiring was to be performed during the evening. At approximately 22h00 the entire assembly process has been completed. The vehicle Flight Readiness Review was completed the day before. An ISRO official was briefed on the progress of the NLS-4 and NLS-5 and was provided with additional information, to be used in the Mission Readiness Review. MRR is the final review before the PSLV-C9 mission is cleared for launch.
  
  Launch Campaign Day 17 - April 18
  All NLS-4 spacecraft have been integrated on to the LV. The completed 2nd deck containing AAUSat-II, COMPASS-1, Delfi-C3, and SEEDS was placed first, followed by CanX-2 and Cute-1.7+APD II on the main deck. All wiring have been completed. All remove before flight items have been removed. All NLS-4 and NLS-5 spacecraft and separation systems are ready for flight. We expect to receive the confirmation of the launch date and the final predicted orbital parameters following the completion of the satellite integration activity and PS4 preparation.
  
  LAUNCH CAMPAIGN SCHEDULE
  Apr 20 -- Heat shield closure in PM.
  Apr 22 -- Vehicle electrical check. Mission Readiness Review
  Apr 23 -- PSLV-C9 vehicle roll-out from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the Second Launch Pad, scheduled for 06h00 IST.

  ---

  
• #14 by anik on 20 Apr, 2008 06:19
• http://www.utias-sfl.net/NLS-4/
  
  Launch Campaign Day 18 - April 19
  Level 2 checks of the fully integrated LV was completed today. Launch date will be officially announced after vehicle roll out, following the official launch notification from ISRO to the Prime Minister of India.
• #15 by anik on 21 Apr, 2008 15:13
• http://www.utias-sfl.net/NLS-4/
  
  Launch Campaign Day 19 - April 20
  Final checks of NLS-4 and NLS-5 spacecraft were completed this morning, and all spacecraft have been officially handed over to the vehicle team. Heat shield closure began around 09h00 and was completed by 14h00. Two remaining members from the Cute-1.7+APD II team returned to Japan early this morning. All teams now have the predicted orbital elements for all NLS-4 and NLS-5 spacecraft.
  
  LAUNCH CAMPAIGN SCHEDULE (updated)
  Apr 21 -- Vehicle electrical check.
  Apr 22 -- Vehicle electrical check. Launch Authorization Board meeting
  Apr 23 -- PSLV-C9 vehicle roll-out from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the Second Launch Pad, scheduled for 06h00 IST (April 22 20h30 GMT).
  Apr 24 -- Mission Readiness Review.
• #16 by anik on 22 Apr, 2008 20:18
• http://www.utias-sfl.net/NLS-4/
  
  Launch Campaign Day 21 - April 22
  Level 3 check of the LV was completed. The LV and its launching platform are being prepared for movement to the Second Launch Pad. We will be assembling at VAB at 05h45 tomorrow morning for the PSLV-C9 roll out ceremony.
• #17 by William Graham on 22 Apr, 2008 20:30
• If everything is going according to schedule, rollout should just about be getting underway.
• #18 by William Graham on 23 Apr, 2008 20:19
• The PSLV has arrived at pad 2. Launch is now officially targeted for 28/04 at 03:53 GMT.
• #19 by hornbill2007 on 24 Apr, 2008 11:03
• Delfi-C3 mission status page also shows the update on launch vehicle roll out.
  
  

  Quote

  April 24th 00:30 (GMT + 2)
  
  We have just received word from that the PSLV has been rolled out to the launchpad and an official launch date has been announced: 28th of April

  
  http://www.delfic3.nl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=89&Itemid=121
  
  
  
  
  
• #20 by jacqmans on 24 Apr, 2008 12:09
• PSLV-C9 to Launch CARTOSAT-2A on April 28, 2008
  
  http://www.isro.org/pressrelease/April24_2008.htm
  
  
  Next launch of India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C9, is scheduled to carry India’s latest Remote Sensing satellite, CARTOSAT-2A along with Indian Mini Satellite (IMS-1) and eight nanosatellites from abroad around 9.20 am on Monday, April 28, 2008 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. This will be the thirteenth flight of PSLV and third flight with ‘core-alone’ configuration.
  
  CARTOSAT-2A weighing about 690 kg carries a state-of-the-art Panchromatic camera (PAN) that is capable of taking black-and-white pictures in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The imagery will have a spatial resolution of about one metre. The camera covers a swath (geographical strip of land) of about 9.6 km. The highly agile CARTOSAT-2A is steerable along as well as across the direction of its movement to facilitate imaging of any area more frequently. CARTOSAT-2A will form a pair with CARTOSAT-2 launched on January 10, 2007 providing more frequent revisit.  
  
  Indian Mini Satellite-1 (IMS-1) is developed by ISRO. Weighing 83 kg at lift-off, IMS-1 incorporates many new technologies and has miniaturised subsystems. IMS-1 carries two optical payloads – a Multispectral camera (Mx Payload) and a Hyperspectral camera (HySI Payload). Both Mx and HySI payloads operate in the visible and near infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The resolution of Mx camera is 37 metre with a swath of 151 km while that of HySI is about 506 metre with a swath of 129.5km. The data from this mission will be made available to developing countries.
  
  Eight nanosatellites built by universities and research institutions in Canada and Germany are also being launched under a commercial agreement with Antrix Corporation. The weight of these Nanosatellites vary from 3 to 16 kg with a total weight of about 50 kg.
  
  The launch campaign is progressing satisfactorily at SDSC SHAR. The satellite has already been integrated with the launch vehicle and on April 18, 2008, the launch vehicle was moved to the Second Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
  
  Photos:
  http://www.isro.org/pslv-c9/index.htm
  
  
• #21 by anik on 24 Apr, 2008 18:03
• http://www.utias-sfl.net/NLS-4/
  
  Launch Campaign Day 23 - April 24 - L-4
  The Mission Readiness Review for the PSLV-C9 was completed successfully. Related activities today includes wind monitoring and vehicle calibration.
  Current information indicates that live feed of the PSLV-C9 launch will be available on the Indian national channel. Inquiry on channel information and webcast has been made. It is TBC whether this telecast will be available to viewers outside India.
  
  LAUNCH CAMPAIGN SCHEDULE
  
  Apr 26 -- LV fueling operations. Guest arrival at Chennai/SHAR. Communication check between SHAR and Ground Stations worldwide.
• #22 by anik on 25 Apr, 2008 13:46
• http://www.utias-sfl.net/NLS-4/
  
  Launch Campaign Day 24 - April 25 - L-3
  The launch vehicle is undergoing pre-countdown preparation. Pyrotechnic arming will be performed overnight. Countdown will begin at approximately T-50 hours, or 01:53 UTC on April 26. Communication check between the Mission Control Center and the outside world has been tested. All NLS-4 and NLS-5 GSE have been packed and sealed in preparation for their return to Canada. Guests from Canada, Japan, and the Netherlands are arriving around midnight tonight in Chennai.
• #23 by anik on 27 Apr, 2008 04:33
• http://www.utias-sfl.net/NLS-4/
  
  Launch Campaign Day 25 - April 26 - L-2
  Pyrotechnic wiring was completed in early morning. Countdown sequence began around 07:30 IST. Manual fueling of the PS4 upper stage was completed in the afternoon, followed by post-fueling operations and LV umbilical preparation in the evening. Guests from Canada and Japan arrived at SHAR in the afternoon and toured the Second Launch Pad in the evening. Automatic filling of the PS2 2nd stage will begin tomorrow. Evacuation of the area within 5km from the SLP will begin in the afternoon.
  
  The launch webcast may be viewed on this link:
  rtsp://164.100.51.207/broadcast/DDLive?start=
• #24 by Jirka Dlouhy on 27 Apr, 2008 19:54
• In the NDTV. com article is very interesting comparing: PSLV weighs 230 tons - the weight of almost 50 elephants.
  
  http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080048092&ch=4/27/2008%205:43:00%20PM
• #25 by ximig on 28 Apr, 2008 00:06
• according to http://www.isro.org/pressrelease/April24_2008.htm , The launch time is around 0320GMT
  but http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html say will happen 0353GMT
  I've lost....
• #26 by jcm on 28 Apr, 2008 01:56
• Quote

  ximig - 27/4/2008  8:06 PM
  
  according to http://www.isro.org/pressrelease/April24_2008.htm , The launch time is around 0320GMT
  but http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html say will happen 0353GMT
  I've lost....

  
  The ISRO link you quote says 'around 0920' IST which is around 0350 GMT, consistent with
  the spaceflightnow value.  Remember IST = GMT + 5:30
• #27 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 03:32
• Appears to be some coverage on that RSTP link. A few pictures of a PSLV launching, but I think that's stock, and some shots of integration and of the satellites.
  
  Unfortunately, I cannot understand what they are saying, and even if I could, the sound quality is worse than a bad ULA webcast.
• #28 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 03:37
• According to http://www.utias-sfl.net/ everything is "go" at L-17 mins. Launch is targeted for 03:53:51 GMT, at the start of a ten min window.
• #29 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 03:39
• Video feed has now been interupted by what appears to be adverts.
  
  L-14 mins.
• #30 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 03:49
• 4 mins to go. The feed now seems to be showing sports news. Hopefully it will switch back to the PSLV soon
• #31 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 03:51
• 2 mins to launch. Rollout pictures.
• #32 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 03:52
• 90 seconds. LIVE FEED.
• #33 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 03:53
• One minute to launch. Webcast lag about 15 secs.
• #34 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 03:54
• LIFTOFF!
• #35 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 03:54
• Performance nominal
• #36 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 03:55
• Lots of cloud around the launch site. Rockey has disappeared already. 20km downrange, 40km altitude
• #37 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 03:56
• Stage 1 separation, stage 2 ignition confirmed. Performance nominal.
• #38 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 03:57
• 130km altitude, 140 downrange.
• #39 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 03:57
• Fairing separation.
• #40 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 03:58
• India seem to be claiming that 10 satellites is a new record. I'm sure other rockets have already launched more.
• #41 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 03:59
• I think stage 2 separation has occurred, but I am not sure.
  
  Apologies for any spelling mistakes and typos, it's 5am here, and I've been up all night.
• #42 by edkyle99 on 28 Apr, 2008 04:02

• ---

  

  
• #43 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 04:05
• We've got the live feed back. now 666 secs into flight. Looks good.
• #44 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 04:06
• 625km altitude, 2900 downrange. Not sure if stage 4 is burning, or whether they're in a coast phase.
  
  EDIT: Velocity is increasing, so they must be burning.
• #45 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 04:08
• Burnout. Orbit achieved.
• #46 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 04:09
• CartoSat separation confirmed at MET 883.8 secs
• #47 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 04:10
• IMS-1 Separation at 928.8 secs.
• #48 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 04:13
• Looks like the launch was a success.
• #49 by hornbill2007 on 28 Apr, 2008 06:02
• No word about the deployment of the eight nanosatellites in the news broadcasts. Only a claim to world records. ISRO need to come out with an official statement now. ISRO website is a pathetic one.
• #50 by William Graham on 28 Apr, 2008 06:15
• Quote

  hornbill2007 - 28/4/2008  6:02 AM
  
  No word about the deployment of the eight nanosatellites in the news broadcasts. Only a claim to world records. ISRO need to come out with an official statement now. ISRO website is a pathetic one.

  
  The world record claim is nonsense. Russia and America have launched far more than ten satellites on one rocket, on several occasions in the past.
• #51 by jacqmans on 28 Apr, 2008 07:21
• April 28, 2008  
   
     
   In its thirteenth flight conducted from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota, today (April 28, 2008), ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C9, successfully launched the 690 kg Indian remote sensing satellite CARTOSAT-2A, the 83 kg Indian Mini Satellite (IMS-1) and eight nanosatellites for international customers into a 637 km polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO). PSLV-C9 in its ‘core alone’ configuration launched ten satellites with a total weight of about 820 kg.  
  
  After the final count down, PSLV-C9 lifted off from the second launch pad at SDSC SHAR, at 09:24 Hrs IST with the ignition of the core first stage. The important flight events included the separation of the first stage, ignition of the second stage, separation of the heatshield at about 125 km altitude after the vehicle had cleared the dense atmosphere, second stage separation, third stage ignition, third stage separation, fourth stage ignition and fourth stage cut-off.
  
  The 690 kg main payload, CARTOSAT-2A, was the first satellite to be injected into orbit at 885 seconds after lift-off at an altitude of 637 km. About 45 seconds later, Indian Mini Satellite (IMS-1) was separated after which all the nano satellites were separated in sequence. The initial signals indicate normal health of the satellites.
  
  CARTOSAT-2A
  
  CARTOSAT-2A is a state-of-the art remote sensing satellite with a spatial resolution of about one metre and swath of 9.6 km. The satellite carries a panchromatic camera (PAN) capable of taking black-and-white pictures in the visible region of electromagnetic spectrum. The highly agile CARTOSAT-2A is steerable along as well as across the direction of its movement to facilitate imaging of any area more frequently.  
  
  Soon after separation from PSLV fourth stage, the two solar panels of CARTOSAT-2A were automatically deployed. The satellite’s health is continuously monitored from the Spacecraft Control Centre at Bangalore with the help of ISTRAC network of stations at Bangalore, Lucknow, Mauritius, Bearslake in Russia, Biak in Indonesia and Svalbard in Norway.
  
  High-resolution data from CARTOSAT-2A will be invaluable in urban and rural development applications calling for large scale mapping.
  
  Indian Mini Satellite (IMS -1)
  
  Indian Mini Satellite (IMS-1), flown as an auxiliary payload on board PSLV-C9, is developed by ISRO for remote sensing applications. Weighing 83 Kg at lift-off, IMS-1 incorporates many new technologies and has miniaturised subsystems. IMS-1 carries two remote sensing payloads - A Multi-spectral camera (Mx Payload) and a Hyper-spectral camera (HySI Payload), operating in the visible and near infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The spatial resolution of Mx camera is 37 metre with a swath of 151 km while that of HySI is about 506 metre with a swath of about 130 km. The data from this mission will be made available to interested space agencies and student community from developing countries to provide necessary impetus to capacity building in using satellite data. The versatile IMS-1 has been specifically developed to carry different payloads in future without significant changes in it and has a design life time of two years.
  
  Nano Satellites for International Customers
  
  Eight Nanosatellites from abroad are carried as auxiliary payloads besides IMS-1 as well as CARTOSAT-2A. The total weight of these Nanosatellite payloads is about 50 Kg. Six of the eight Nanosatellites are clustered together with the collective name NLS-4. The other two nanosatellites are NLS-5 AND RUBIN-8. NLS-4, developed by University of Toronto, Canada consists of six nano-satellites developed by various universities. Two of them - CUTE 1.7 and SEEDS - are built in Japan, while the other four - CAN-X2, AAUSAT-II, COMPASS-1 and DELPHI-C3 are built in Canada, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands respectively. NLS-5 is also built by University of Toronto and RUBIN-8 is built by Cosmos International, Germany. The eight nanosatellite payloads of PSLV-C9 are built to develop nano technologies for use in satellites as well as for the development of technologies for satellite applications.
  
  In its twelve consecutively successful flights so far, PSLV has repeatedly proved itself as a reliable and versatile workhorse launch vehicle. It has demonstrated multiple satellite launch capability having launched a total of sixteen satellites for international customers besides thirteen Indian payloads which are for remote sensing, amateur radio communications and Space capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE-1). PSLV was used to launch ISRO’s exclusive meteorological satellite, KALPANA-1, into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) in September 2002 and thus proved its versatility. The same vehicle will be used to launch Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, India’s first mission to Moon during this year.
  
   
  
• #52 by hesidu on 28 Apr, 2008 07:28
• Congratulations to ISRO !
• #53 by input~2 on 28 Apr, 2008 07:30

• Jacques,

  Could you please mention the sources of your quotes? 

• #54 by jacqmans on 28 Apr, 2008 07:48
• http://www.isro.org/pressrelease/April28_2008.htm
  
• #55 by Skyrocket on 28 Apr, 2008 08:41
• Quote

  GW_Simulations - 28/4/2008  8:15 AM
  
  

  Quote

  hornbill2007 - 28/4/2008  6:02 AM
  
  No word about the deployment of the eight nanosatellites in the news broadcasts. Only a claim to world records. ISRO need to come out with an official statement now. ISRO website is a pathetic one.

  
  The world record claim is nonsense. Russia and America have launched far more than ten satellites on one rocket, on several occasions in the past.

  
  The Minotaur-1 launch of 26. January 2000 put 11 payloads into orbit
  The Dnepr-1 launch of 15. June 2007 orbited 14 payloads
  
  If we count passive calibration subsats, a number of soviet Taifun-2 satellites deployed each 24 subsatellites. And two Koltso (Kosmos 1985, 2053) deployed each 36 subsatellites.
  
  And there is also Project Westford. As each of the dipoles is a deliberately deployed object, the number of simultaneously launchd "payloads" is about 480 million.
  
  
  
• #56 by isro-watch on 28 Apr, 2008 08:42
• the story that isro's creadting a world record is just some publicity stunt by one private news channel...isro never claimed it officially...
  
  all info is on :
  www.isro.org
• #57 by edkyle99 on 28 Apr, 2008 14:54
• Quote

  isro-watch - 28/4/2008  3:42 AM
  
  the story that isro's creadting a world record is just some publicity stunt by one private news channel...isro never claimed it officially...
  
  all info is on :
  www.isro.org

  
  Yes.  It is mere hyperbole, as when U.S. sportscasters call the Major League baseball World Series winner the "World Champion", when in fact Japan's national team is the most recent winner of the true world championship, the World Baseball Classic, etc..  
  
   - Ed Kyle
• #58 by prao on 28 Apr, 2008 19:03
• The claims of a record # of satellites launched by a single rocket may not be quite right (ISRO hasn't made any such claim - it does seem that it was created by some news agency). On the other hand, I'm not quite sure it's nonsense either. I looked into the launches posted by Gunter Krebs (cursorily I admit) and it seems to me that his claims may not be quite right (However, I stand ready to be corrected). For example the according to the Wikipedia, the Minotaur launch of Jan 26, 2000 launched a single satellite called the JAWSAT which then proceeded to deploy four microsatellites of it's own for a total of 5 (not 11 satellites). See:
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minotaur_%28rocket%29 and the link to JAWSAT
  
  I wonder also if this method of launching multiple satellites isn't different technically from the PSLV's launch of all satellites by the fourth stage itself. If it is then it doesn't really make sense to compare this PSLV launch with either the Minotaur launch of Jan 26, 2000 or the Taifun or Koltso launches quoted by the same poster does it?
  
  This then leaves the Depnr launch of 15 June, 2007. Again going by the Wikipedia, it appears that that launch carried only one satellite, the TerraSAR-X. However the 17 April, 2007 launch appears to have carried 10 (or more?  - not clear) satellites. The article doesn't give any informaiton about how the satellites were deployed - i.e whether they were deployed by the launch vehicle or by one of the satellites.
  
  However the 26 July, 2006 launch of the same launcher attempted to deploy 18 satellites but that launch ended in failure. See:
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dnepr_rocket
  
  Project Westford dates from 1963 and calling it a launch of 480 million satellites is really playing with words. If "deliberately deployed" means separately and intentionally deployed, this certainly doesn't qualify. From what I could find:
  
  "Inside the West Ford spacecraft, the needles were packed densely together in blocks made of a napthalene gel that would rapidly evaporate in space. This entire package of needles weighed only 20 kg. After being released, the hundreds of millions of copper needles gradually spread throughout their entire orbit over a period of two months. The final donut-shaped cloud was 15 km wide and 30 km thick and encircled the globe at an altitude of 3700 km. "
  
  This is hardly a deliberate deployment. If this is to be considered what are we to make of the satellite destroyed by China by an explosive not too long ago? Surely that's a launch of a few thousand mini (and micro) satellites no?
  
  Comments?
  
  P
  
• #59 by Skyrocket on 28 Apr, 2008 19:07
• Quote

  prao - 28/4/2008  9:03 PM
  
  This then leaves the Depnr launch of 15 June, 2007. Again going by the Wikipedia, it appears that that launch carried only one satellite, the TerraSAR-X. However the 17 April, 2007 launch appears to have carried 10 (or more?  - not clear) satellites. The article doesn't give any informaiton about how the satellites were deployed - i.e whether they were deployed by the launch vehicle or by one of the satellites.
  
  

  
  Sorry, i took the date from the wrong line - it is the 17 April, 2007 launch with 14 satellites
  
  
• #60 by prao on 28 Apr, 2008 19:32
• Then this would leave the PSLV - C9 launch at least at second place for satellites deployed by the launch vehicle no? Not a bad record I'd say, certainly better than "nonsense".
  
   :laugh:
  
  Do you have any information about how the satellites of the Depnr launch of April 2007 were deployed?
  
  Prao
• #61 by m.prasad on 29 Apr, 2008 07:48
• Hi,
  Has anyone got an idea on why ISRO launched TechSar & Cartosat 2A separtely with PSLV-CA versions. Earlier the news from ISRO was to send PSLV-XL version with TechSar, Cartosat2A together(along with 6 small sats) weighting up 1800kg. Mr Annadarai also confirmed that there would be test flight of PSLV-XL version before Chnadrayaan-1 to prove it capability. I have no idea on why suddenly they used the separate launchers
  I guess: Either the launch parameters (height, inclination etc) may be different for both the missions or manufacuturer delay for Cartosat2A by the time Techsar was ready?
• #62 by Skyrocket on 29 Apr, 2008 09:24
• Quote

  m.prasad - 29/4/2008  9:48 AM
  
  Hi,
  Has anyone got an idea on why ISRO launched TechSar & Cartosat 2A separtely with PSLV-CA versions. Earlier the news from ISRO was to send PSLV-XL version with TechSar, Cartosat2A together(along with 6 small sats) weighting up 1800kg. Mr Annadarai also confirmed that there would be test flight of PSLV-XL version before Chnadrayaan-1 to prove it capability. I have no idea on why suddenly they used the separate launchers
  I guess: Either the launch parameters (height, inclination etc) may be different for both the missions or manufacuturer delay for Cartosat2A by the time Techsar was ready?

  
  because of completly incompatible orbit requirements (Techsat in 450 x 580 km x 41°, Cartosat 2A in 635 km x 97.92° orbit)
  
  
• #63 by m.prasad on 29 Apr, 2008 11:51
• Thank you for the clarification Krebs
• #64 by William Graham on 29 Apr, 2008 20:21
• Quote

  prao - 28/4/2008  7:32 PM
  
  Then this would leave the PSLV - C9 launch at least at second place for satellites deployed by the launch vehicle no? Not a bad record I'd say, certainly better than "nonsense".
  
   :laugh:
  
  Do you have any information about how the satellites of the Depnr launch of April 2007 were deployed?
  
  Prao

  
  Both directly and from PPODS, I think. I think they used the same methods on this launch as well. I also believe that RUBIN (intentionally) remained attached to the upper stage, so that means only 9 were deployed.
• #65 by jacqmans on 30 Apr, 2008 10:39
• CARTOSAT-2A and IMS-1 Cameras Switched on
  April 30, 2008  
   
  http://www.isro.org/pressrelease/April30_2008.htm
     
   The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C9) launched India’s Remote Sensing satellites CARTOSAT-2A and Indian Mini Satellite-1 (IMS-1) along with eight nanosatellites successfully on April 28, 2008 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. The telemetry data received indicates that all the subsystems of both the satellites are functioning satisfactorily and the health of the satellites is normal.
  
  On April 29, 2008, the Multispectral camera onboard IMS-1 was switched on and high quality imagery covering Allahabad to Rameswaram was obtained. Today (April 30, 2008), the Hyper Spectral Imaging (HySI) camera onboard IMS-1 and panchromatic (PAN) camera onboard CARTOSAT-2A were switched on. Imagery from HySI camera covered Uttarakhand to Karnataka passing through Delhi and Bhopal. PAN camera covered strips of land from Saharanpur to Nuh (South of Delhi) and Sangli to Goa Coast. Data was received at National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), Shadnagar, Hyderabad. Quality of the imagery received is excellent.
  
  Launch of PSLV-C9 is a significant milestone for the country, as it has again proved the reliability and versatility of PSLV and its ability to put satellites in different types of orbits, thus proving its commercial potential as well. This provides an excellent opportunity to undertake commercial launches of different class of satellites as stand-alone launches or as shared launches with our own satellites.
   
  
• #66 by hornbill2007 on 30 Apr, 2008 16:53
• All babies kicking good!!
  
  http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/30/stories/2008043055961300.htm
• #67 by mikes on 04 May, 2008 07:26
• BBC has an expanded article by Pallava Bagla (who wrote the NDTV article linked earlier)
  
  "India's growing strides in space"
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7374714.stm
  
• #68 by m.prasad on 20 May, 2008 13:23
• Has anybody got idea on what is DLA (Dual Lauch Adapter). Basically it is needed for satellites' mounting purposes and has been is use by ISRO from PSLV-C7 mission. But before this mission also, ISRO laucnched multiples satellite in single go. Then how this DLA helps?
  
  Thanks in advance
• #69 by Skyrocket on 20 May, 2008 21:38
• Quote

  m.prasad - 20/5/2008  3:23 PM
  
  Has anybody got idea on what is DLA (Dual Lauch Adapter). Basically it is needed for satellites' mounting purposes and has been is use by ISRO from PSLV-C7 mission. But before this mission also, ISRO laucnched multiples satellite in single go. Then how this DLA helps?
  
  Thanks in advance

  
  It is a structure to launch similar sized large satellites. Before DLA, only small piggy-back payloads could be launched with the main payload.
  It encapsulates the lower payload, while the upper is placed on the top of the DLA
  
  http://www.isro.org/pslv-c7/photos/layout3.jpg
  http://www.isro.org/pslv-c7/photos/FourSpacecrafts16.jpg
  
  
  
• #70 by m.prasad on 22 May, 2008 10:44
• Thanks for the clarification Krebs. In the photoes, I could see main payload Cardosat on the top of the DLA and auxilory payload SRE-1 inside the DLA. I have one small question on this. How many similar sized (large) sats can be used with a DLA? I think it is 2. Then how about more than 2 sats case? Need one more DLA is attached to first one?
• #71 by Skyrocket on 22 May, 2008 11:13
• Only one DLA can be used on each PSLV launch - there is simply no more room available inside the fairing.
• #72 by m.prasad on 28 May, 2008 13:50
• Thanks Krebs!