PSLV-C16/RESOURCESAT-2 Mission to be launched on April 20

The Board, which met yesterday in Sriharikota, reviewed the readiness of the launch vehicle, spacecraft systems and ground stations and has authorised the commencement of the 54-hour countdown during the early hours of April 18, an ISRO release said.

During the countdown, propellant-filling operations of the liquid propellant second stage (PS2) and fourth stage (PS4) of the launch vehicle would be carried out, it said.

Mandatory checks on the launch vehicle and spacecraft - including charging of batteries and pressurisation of propellant tanks would also be performed, it said. Readiness of launch infrastructure such as tracking radar systems and communication networks would be checked, it added.

PSLV-C16 will launch RESOURCESAT-2, YOUTHSAT and X-SAT satellites. RESOURCESAT-2, built by ISRO and the primary satellite, is an advanced remote sensing satellite weighing 1,206 kg for facilitating the study and management of natural resources.

YOUTHSAT, weighing 92 kg, is a joint Indo-Russian satellite for stellar and atmospheric studies. X-SAT, weighing 106 kg, is a microsatellite for imaging applications built by Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore.