Science

The PSLV-C53/DS-EO mission has been successfully accomplished, said Indian Space Research Organisation on Thursday.

The launch was scheduled for 6 PM from the Second Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space, Sriharikota, added ISRO.

The countdown of 25 hours leading to the launch started at 5 PM on Wednesday.

PSLV-C53 is the second dedicated commercial mission of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL). It is designed to orbit the DS-EO satellites along with two other co-passenger satellites from Singapore.

This is the 55th mission of PSLV and the 15th mission using the PSLV-Core Alone variant. It is the 16th PSLV launch from the second launch pad.

The mission proposes to demonstrate the utilisation of the spent upper stage of the launch vehicle as a stabilized platform for scientific payloads subsequent to the separation of the satellites.

Digantara, a spacetech startup, said that the “world’s first commercial space-based space weather system”, ROBI (ROBust Integrating proton fluence meter), designed by it was also launched onboard ISRO’s PSLV-C53 Mission.

With the launch of the world’s smallest digital space weather sensor for monitoring space weather, the company has taken a giant leap towards building their space infrastructure for providing a one-stop comprehensive space situational awareness solution, it said.

Noting that space weather is a complex phenomenon that arises from high energy particles, plasma, and electromagnetic waves originating from the sun or the cosmos interacting with the earth’s magnetic field, Digantara said, a major space weather event can have significant repercussions on both space and terrestrial systems.