Isro launches 31 satellites: Ten facts about the mission

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday launched 31 satellites with its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle which lifted off at 9:29 am and the mission was finished when the fourth engine shut off two hours and 21 seconds later. Hari Pulakkat has ten facts about the mission:

* The mission was the 42nd done by its workhorse rocket, the PSLV

* The current mission, called PSLV C40, put the satellites in two different orbits


* It was the first mission of ISRO after the failure of its previous mission on August 31

* It is also the last mission under the chairmanship of Kiran Kumar, who is expected to retire next week after a career spanning 42 years

* The rocket carried India’s satellite Cartosat 2-F, which is an earth observation satellite

* Cartosat 2-F is the sixth in the cartosat series, of which the first was launched in 2005

* PSLV C40 also had a nanosatellite and a microsatellite from India, and three microsatellite and 25 nanosatellites from six other countries

* The nanosatellite 1C is the third in the nanosatellite series, of which the first two were launched last year

* It has a multispectral camera that can be used for topographic mapping, vegetation monitoring and studying clouds

* The next big mission for ISRO is Chandrayaan-2, expected to be launched in three to four months