Cartosat-2B to be operational in a week
14 Jul 2010
Cartosat-2B, the remote-sensing satellite, Cartosat-2B, placed in orbit by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C15) on Monday is in fine condition and set to become operational in a week.
PSLV-C15 also put four other satellites into orbit at an altitude of 637 km on Monday.
''The health of the satellite is good. Everything has been checked out. It will become operational in a week's time,'' said PS Veeraraghavan, director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram.
According to Veeraghavan, the images taken by the camera aboard Cartosat-2B's would be available soon after the satellite goes operational. The satellite's solar panels were deployed soon after it emerged out of the fourth stage of the vehicle.
He said the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) PSLV launches had received commendations from leading rocket scientist from other countries.
This is the eighth instance of several satellites being put into orbit by a PSLV.
Veeraghavan said the launch of multiple satellites from the same vehicle called for a degree of technological sophistication as these needed to be launched in a sequence, simultaneously ensuring that no collision occurred.
