ISRO launches satellite PSLV-C58; to study black holes, galaxies

Chennai, January 1

A PSLV rocket carrying a total of 11 satellites, including ISRO’s X-Ray polarimeter satellite, lifted off from a spaceport here on Monday.

ISRO’s maiden X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite would offer insights into celestial objects like black holes.

The PSLV-C58 rocket, in its 60th mission, carried primary payload XPoSat and 10 other satellites to be deployed in low earth orbits.

For the first time in its history, ISRO carried out a space mission on January 1.

Earlier, ISRO has carried out space missions with its two rockets – PSLV and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) in the month of January a couple of times, but not on the first day of a calendar year.

At 9.10 am the Indian rocket PSLV-DL variant with the code PSLV-C58, standing 44.4-metre tall and weighing 260 ton, took off from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, in Andhra Pradesh.

At about 21 minutes into its flight, the rocket will orbit XPoSat at an altitude of about 650 km. Agencies