PSLV-C39 explained

PSLV-C39
Mission Type:Deployment of IRNSS-1H into sub-GTO
Operator:ISRO
Website:ISRO website
Spacecraft:Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
Spacecraft Type:Expendable launch vehicle
Manufacturer:ISRO
Launch Mass:321 t
Payload Mass:1425 kg
Launch Date: (IST)
Launch Rocket:Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
Launch Site:Sriharikota Launching Range
Launch Contractor:ISRO
Programme:Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle missions
Previous Mission:PSLV-C38
Next Mission:PSLV-C40

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle – C39 was the forty-first flight of the PSLV series of launch vehicles on 31 August 2017. Launched in its XL configuration, the vehicle suffered a rare failure – the first failure after 24 years of operations[1] when the heat shield failed to separate and the payload became trapped inside the heat shield and could not be deployed.

The mission

PSLV-C39 was supposed to launch the IRNSS-1H, the eighth satellite of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS). The launch was necessitated due to the failure of all the Cesium atomic clocks in one of the satellites of the constellation which rendered the navigation system non-operational.[2] The rocket successfully lifted off from the launch pad and performed as expected for about 3 minutes, when the heat shield protecting the satellite during its ascent through the atmosphere was supposed to separate. Due to a malfunction of the pyro devices designed to explosively separate the heat shield,[3] the satellite remained within the heat shield.[1] The satellite stuck within the heat shield with a combined weight of around 2400kg (5,300lb) was expected to re-enter and burn up in the Earth's atmosphere in 40 – 60 days,[4] [5] though in reality this only occurred after 548 days on 2 March 2019 around 19:23 UTC near Fiji.[6]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ISRO launch 'unsuccessful'. Hindustan Times. September 2017 . 9 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180209063714/https://www.hindustantimes.com/science/isro-launch-unsuccessful-what-is-heat-shield-and-why-was-irnss-1h-satellite-not-released/story-hQ81GxorxtCvv7vYe9qyML.html. 9 February 2018. Wayback Machine.
  2. Web site: Johnson TA. ISRO readies replacement satellite after clock failure. The Indian Express. 29 August 2017 . 9 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180209064703/http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/science/isro-irnss-1h-readies-replacement-satellite-irnss-1h-after-clock-failure-4818259/. 9 February 2018. Wayback Machine.
  3. Web site: U Tejonmayam. Why PSLV-C39 failed. Times of India. 9 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180209065622/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/why-pslv-c39-failed-an-explosion-that-didnt-happen/articleshow/62493045.cms. 9 February 2018. live. WebCite.
  4. Web site: IRNSS-1H satellite and PSLV heat shield to re-enter Earth's atmosphere in 40-60 days. Firstpost. 5 September 2017 .
  5. News: What went wrong in PSLV-C39 launch?. The Hindu. September 2017 . 9 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180209072427/http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/what-went-wrong-in-pslv-c39-launch-isro-to-probe/article19604368.ece. 9 February 2018. Wayback Machine. d. s . Madhumathi .
  6. https://www.space-track.org/basicspacedata/query/class/tip/NORAD_CAT_ID/42928/orderby/ID%20DESC/format/html/emptyresult/show Space-Track.org TIP messages for object 42928 (IRNSS 1H + PSLV upper stage)