CARTOSAT-3, which is the ninth in the series, was launched from the second launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota at the scheduled time of 9.28 am. This was the 74th launch vehicle mission from Sriharikota.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C47 carried the CARTOSAT-3 satellite along with the other commercial nano-satellites for the US.

Commenting on the successful launch, Isro chief K Sivan said, “I am happy that PSLV-C47 injected precisely in the orbit with 13 other satellites. CARTOSAT-3 is the highest resolution civilian satellite; We have 13 missions up to March- 6 large vehicle missions and 7 satellite missions.”

CARTOSAT-3, India’s most complex and advanced earth imaging satellite built so far, was placed into orbit 17 minutes and 46 seconds after lift-off, the immediate mission after Chandrayaan 2, where the lander crashed while making a soft descent on the lunar surface on September 7.

CARTOSAT-3 MISSION DETAILS

CARTOSAT-3 is a third-generation agile satellite with high-resolution imaging capabilities.

The satellite will replace the IRS series, according to Isro. The CARTOSAT-3 has a panchromatic resolution of 0.25 metres, which helps it conduct satellite imaging with the highest resolution. The space research organisation said this mission is a huge leap from the previous payloads in the CARTOSAT series.

The CARTOSAT-3, with an overall mass of over 1,600 kilograms, will address the increased user demand for large-scale urban planning, rural resource and infrastructure development, coastal land use and land cover.

The mission life of CARTOSAT-3 would be for five years, said the space research organisation.

The launch of CARTOSAT-3 and 13 other commercial nano-satellites follows Isro’s moon mission Chandrayaan-2 on July 22, which failed to manage a soft landing on the moon, and would have been the country’s first had it been successful.