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| ISRO goes global, PSLV lifts off |
| Indian space agency ISRO successfully entered the highly competitive world of the world space launcher market
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| INDIA
, 23-April-2007
10:20:25 AM |
| The 10th consecutive successful launch of PSLV put in orbit an 352 kg Italian scientific satellite.
This was India's first commercial launch. The rocket blasted off perfectly from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh and all stages of the rocket functioned as planned.
It's the first time that a foreign agency has hired a complete ISRO rocket - a contract won by India. It shows just how ISRO has embraced the free market spirit.
Without going into actual figures, ISRO indicated that they were charging around 30 per cent less than the regular international price of $15,000 to $20,000 per kg of the payload to make the launch commercially attractive to the Italian customer.
''The cost of launch was negotiated on a commercial basis. We have to keep confidentiality to win a market. We are not losing anything. We are making what we are spending and more,'' said G Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO.
This will be the 11th launch for India's smaller, tried and tested rocket.
At take off the PSLV weighs 230 tons, stands 44 meters tall carrying two payloads
At takeoff the first stage ignites and three minutes into the flight the massive heat shield separates
One after another the third and fourth stages ignite taking the rocket higher
Almost 22 minutes into the flight at an altitude of 549 kilometres, the AGILE satellite is put into orbit.
This rocket has the capacity to carry far more than the Italian satellite. So ISRO is using it to test its 185 kilogram Advanced Avionics Module.
The electronics package is essentially a nerve centre for any rocket controlling its flight. If it works well on this mission, it could be the brain of a future, Indian rocket.
But the bigger focus remains on ISRO giant step into space market. Other nations already part of this exclusive club that conduct commercial launches include America, Russia, the European consortium and China.
With this launch, India enters the multi-billion dollar world launcher
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