PSLV-C2

PSLV-C2 was the second operational launch and overall fifth mission of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) program. This launch was also the forty-third launch by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) since its first mission on 1 January 1962. The vehicle carried three satellites which were deployed in the Sun-synchronous low Earth orbit.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} The vehicle carried India's first remote sensing satellite Oceansat-1 (IRS-P4) as the main payload. It also carried South Korean satellite KITSAT-3 and German satellite DLR-Tubsat as auxiliary payloads.^[1] PSLV-C2 was the first Indian Expendable launch vehicle to carry and deploy more than one satellite in a mission. This was also India's and ISRO's first commercial spaceflight where South Korea and Germany each paid US$1.0 million (equivalent to $1.89 million in 2024) to ISRO for launching their satellites.^[5][6]

PSLV-C2

Model of the PSLV launch vehicle
Names	Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
Mission type	Deployment of three satellites
Operator	ISRO
Website	ISRO website
Mission duration	1117.5 seconds
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
Spacecraft type	Expendable launch vehicle
Manufacturer	Indian Space Research Organisation
Launch mass	294,000 kg (648,000 lb)
Payload mass	1,202 kg (2,650 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	26 May 1999, 06:22 UTC
Rocket	Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
Launch site	Sriharikota Launching Range
Contractor	ISRO
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Sun-synchronous orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Payload
Oceansat-1 KITSAT-3 DLR-Tubsat
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle missions ← PSLV-C1 PSLV-C3 →

Mission parameters

• Mass:
  • Total liftoff weight: 294,000 kg (648,000 lb)
  • Payload weight: 1,202 kg (2,650 lb)
• Overall height: 44.4 m (146 ft)
• Propellant:
  • First stage: Solid HTPB based (138.0 + 54 tonnes)
  • Second stage: Liquid UDMH + N₂O₄ (4.06 tonnes)
  • Third stage: Solid HTPB based (7.2 tonnes)
  • Fourth stage: Liquid MMH + N₂O₄ (2.0 tonnes)
• Engine:
  • First stage: S139
  • Second stage: Vikas
  • Third stage:
  • Fourth stage: 2 x PS-4
• Thrust:
  • First stage: 4628 + 662 x 6 kN
  • Second stage: 725 kN
  • Third stage: 340 kN
  • Fourth stage: 7.2 x 2 kN
• Altitude: 735.1 km (456.8 mi)
• Maximum velocity: 7,490 m/s (24,600 ft/s) (recorded at time of fourth stage ignition)
• Duration: 1117.5 seconds ^[1][7]

Payload

PSLV-C2 carried and deployed total three satellites. Oceansat-1 (IRS-P4) was the main payload and KITSAT-3 and DLR-Tubsat were two auxiliary payloads that were mounted on PSLV-C2 equipment bay diametrically opposite to each other. Oceansat-1, was mounted on top of the equipment bay. In the flight sequence, IRS-P4 was injected first, followed by KITSAT-3 and then DLR-Tubsat.^[1][8][9]

Country	Name	No.	Mass	Type	Objective
India	Oceansat-1	1	1050 kg	Indian Remote Sensing Satellite	Remote sensing
South Korea	KITSAT-3	1	107 kg	Microsatellite	Test and demonstrate new satellite bus & its payloads
Germany	DLR-Tubsat	1	45 kg	Microsatellite	Test newly developed attitude control system

Launch and planned flight profile

Heat shield of PSLV displayed at HAL heritage center.

PSLV-C2 was launched at 06:22 UTC on 26 May 1999 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (then called "Sriharikota Launching Range"). The mission was planned with pre-flight prediction of perigee and apogee of 727 km (452 mi). The actual perigee was 723.1 km, apogee was 735.1 km. Following was the planned flight profile.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Stage	Time (seconds)	Altitude (kilometer)	Velocity (meter/sec)	Event	Remarks
First stage	T+0	0.02	450	First stage ignition	Lift-off
	T+1.2	0.02	450	Ignition of 4 ground-lit strap-on motors
	T+25.1	2.43	540	Ignition of 2 air-lit strap-on motors
	T+68.1	23.10	1,100	Separation of 4 ground-lit strap-on motors
	T+90.1	40.21	1,520	Separation of 2 air-lit strap-on motors
	T+117.7	72.08	1,970	First stage separation
Second stage	T+117.9	72.38	1,970	Second stage ignition
	T+162.7	120.71	2,210	Heat shield separation
	T+167.7	126.60	2,260	Closed-loop guidance initiation
	T+284.5	254.03	4,070	Second stage separation
Third stage	T+285.7	255.46	4,060	Third stage ignition
	T+506.4	533.57	5,970	Third stage separation
Fourth stage	T+584.4	605.44	5,870	Fourth stage ignition
	T+991.7	728.25	7,490	Fourth stage thrust cut-off
	T+1017.5	728.66	7,490	Oceansat-1 (IRS-P4) separation
	T+1067.5	729.51	7,490	KITSAT-3 separation
	T+1117.5	730.41	7,490	DLR-Tubsat separation

The launch was witnessed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee (then Prime Minister of India), Murli Manohar Joshi, Vasundhara Raje and N. Chandrababu Naidu.^[6]

See also

• Indian Space Research Organisation
• Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle