Chennai: India will launch six Singaporean satellites weighing a total of around 625 kg on Wednesday evening through its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket, a senior official said.
“It is a commercial launch. The rocket is expected to blast off from the Sriharikota rocket port at 6 PM on December 16. The Indian rocket will be carrying six satellites all from Singapore,” a senior official of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), preferring anonymity, said.
According to him, the major luggage for the PSLV rocket will be the earth observation satellite called TeLEOS, weighing around 400 kg.
ISRO will be flying the ‘core alone’ variant of the PSLV rocket. The rocket will not have the strap on boosters, its standard feature.
The December 16 mission will be the last rocket launch mission for ISRO in 2015.
Till date in 2015 calendar year, ISRO has launched 14 satellites (3 Indian and 11 foreign) from its rocket port in Sriharikota. Thirteen satellites were launched with PSLV rocket and one communication satellite – GSAT-6 – with geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV).
When the December 16 launch turns successful, then the total number satellite launches from India will be 20.
In November, India also launched its communication satellite GSAT-15 using the Ariane rocket of the European space agency which takes the total number of satellite launches in 2015 to 21 (17 foreign, 4 Indian).
(With PTI inputs)