India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C52 injected Earth Observation Satellite EOS-04 into an intended sun synchronous polar orbit of 529 km. altitude at 06:17 hours IST on February 14, 2022, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR, Sriharikota.
PSLV lifted off at 05:59 hours IST from the first launch pad at SHAR. This was the 80th launch vehicle mission from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota; 54th flight of PSLV; and the 23rd flight of PSLV in XL configuration (6 strap-on motors).
The satellite EOS-04 is realized at U R Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru. It is a Radar Imaging Satellite designed to provide high quality images under all weather conditions for applications such as Agriculture, Forestry & Plantations, Soil Moisture & Hydrology and Flood mapping.
Weighing about 1710 kg., it generates 2280 W power and has a mission life of 10 years.
The vehicle also placed two smallsats into orbit — a student satellite (INSPIREsat-1) from Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology (IIST) in association with Laboratory of Atmospheric & Space Physics at University of Colorado, Boulder, and a technology demonstrator satellite (INS-2TD) from ISRO, which is a precursor to India-Bhutan Joint Satellite (INS-2B). Co-passenger satellites were successfully separated from the PSLV in a predetermined sequence.