PSLV C 19- launches RISAT-1
The PSLV-C19, the newest in the series of polar satellite launch vehicles of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), lifted off from Sriharikota early on Thursday. Its mission: to placethe radar imaging satellite,RISAT-1, in orbit. There was the customarily tense countdown at the Indian Space Research Organisation's Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. At precisely 5.47 a.m., the launch vehicle's igniters and set of six strap-on motors roared into action within seconds to signal the successful lift-off of the PSLV-C19 with the RISAT -1. RISAT-1 weighs 1858 kg, the heaviest satellite being launched yet by the PSLV. It can beam back imaging of the earth surface features during day and night and under all imagined weather conditions. The synthetic aperture radar, which gives the RISAT-1 its magic lens, also makes it superior to optical remote sensing satellites in terms of clearer imaging. Once the PSLV-C19 successfully completed each of the four stages...