Cautious steps ahead of PSLV launch

A meeting of the Launch Authorisation Board (LAB) for the PSLV C 16 on Saturday cleared the launch on April 20 at 10.12 am from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota. A press release from ISRO states that the LAB reviewed the readiness of the launch vehicle, spacecraft systems and ground stations. It has authorised the commencement of the 54-hour countdown in the early hours of April 18.

During the countdown, propellant-filling operations of the liquid propellant second stage (PS2) and fourth stage (PS4) of the launch vehicle will be carried out. Readiness of launch infrastructure will also be checked, the release stated.

Out of the three satellites being launched by PSLV C16, Resourcesat-2 is an advanced remote sensing satellite weighing 1206 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, Singapore.

PSLV C16 was originally scheduled to be launched in January. But ISRO, reeling under the after effects of the failure of Geo-stationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F06) on December 25, 2010 and the subsequent allegations of scam in the S band spectrum deal with Devas, has taken additional time and made extra preparations to see nothing goes wrong this time round.