Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has begun the 59-hour countdown for the launch of 6 Singapore satellites onboard its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C29, from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. PSLV is scheduled to launch at 6.00 pm on December 16, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The 59 hr countdown activity of PSLV-C29/TeLEOS-1 Mission has started at 07:00 hr IST, Monday, December 14, 2015.

This would be PSLV’s 32nd flight carrying satellites. Antrix Corporation Ltd., the commercial arm of ISRO, has provided launch services in PSLV for 51 customer satellites from 20 countries. Of the six being carried on PSLv C29, TeLEOS-1 is the primary satellite weighing 400kg whereas the other five satellites include two micro-satellites and three nano-satellites. These would be launched into a 550-km circular orbit inclined at 15 degrees to the equator. TeLEOS-1 is the first Singapore commercial earth observation satellite and would be launched into a low Earth orbit for “remote sensing” applications.

Background:-

• ISRO will be flying the ‘core alone’ variant of the PSLV rocket. The rocket will not have the strap on boosters, its standard feature.
• The December 16 mission will be the last rocket launch mission for ISRO in 2015.
• Till date in 2015 calendar year, ISRO has launched 14 satellites (3 Indian and 11 foreign) from its rocket port in Sriharikota.
• Thirteen satellites were launched with PSLV rocket and one communication satellite – GSAT-6 – with geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV).
• When the December 16 launch turns successful, then the total number satellite launches from India will be 20.
• In November, India also launched its communication satellite GSAT-15 using the Ariane rocket of the European space agency which takes the total number of satellite launches in 2015 to 21 (17 foreign, 4 Indian).

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ISRO received ____________________ in recognition of its services in transforming India through the use of space technology and space based services.