ISRO may launch the PSLV-C55 mission on April 22
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing for its upcoming PSLV-C55 mission. The space agency is reportedly aiming to launch it on April 22. The mission is expected to take off from the launch facility in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The PSLV-C55 will be the first rocket to be integrated at the new PSLV Integration Facility (PIF) and is said to carry a Singaporean satellite.
The first and second stages have been integrated
The latest developments related to the PSLV-C55 mission have been reported by a Twitter account called ISRO Spaceflight. The first and second stages of the rocket have been integrated and transferred to the First Launch Pad (FLP). At the FLP, these stages will be integrated with the third and four stages, along with the Payload Fairing (PLF) and payload assembly.
ISRO is following a new approach for the current mission
During previous PSLV missions, the entire space vehicle was integrated at the FLP with the help of the Mobile Service Tower (MST). However, ISRO is following a new approach from the PSLV-C55 mission onward. The first and second stages will be integrated at the PIF center and will be transferred to the FLP via the new Mobile Launch Pedestal (MLP).
What is the reason behind the new approach?
The new approach would allow the partial integration of a PSLV vehicle even if the FLP has been occupied. These modifications would help boost the launch frequency, allowing the space agency to launch more missions in lesser time.
ISRO recently launched the LVM3-M3/OneWeb India-2 mission
In March, ISRO launched the LVM3-M3/OneWeb India-2 mission aboard Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3), which is India's largest rocket. The 3.5-meter-tall LVM3 rocket lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota with a payload of 5,805kg, comprising 36 satellites The mission marked ISRO's second launch of the year. In February, the space agency launched the SSLV-D2/EOS07 mission.
A little about the PSLV rocket
ISRO's PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) is the third-generation rocket in India. Its first successful launch was in October 1994 and has since emerged as the "reliable and versatile workhorse launch vehicle in India." It has launched about 297 customer satellites for 33 countries to the Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The rocket has also launched meteorology, navigation, communication satellites, and space exploratory missions.
