ISRO's PSLV-C45 launch of EMISAT, 28 other satellites: When, where to watch it live

On 1 April, the Indian Space Research Organisation is planning to send Indian intelligence satellite EMISAT and 29 other commercial satellites to orbit in a special mission. The  **PSLV-C45/EMISAT mission** will be the first attempt by ISRO to place satellites in three different orbits in a single satellite launch mission. It will also test a new variant of the PSLV rocket – the PSLV-QL, which has 4 additional strap-on boosters to give it a huge additional thrust. [caption id=“attachment_6329141” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] An illustration of ISRO’s EMISAT satellite. Image: ISRO/AFC[/caption]

EMISAT: India’s newest spy in the sky

The highlight of the launch on 1 April is  **EMISAT**  — a powerful electronic intelligence/surveillance satellite — developed jointly by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organisation). The satellite **can intercept communication** signals on the ground and also capture these signal at high-resolution from space. ISRO will likely place EMISAT in a high-elliptical orbit, giving the satellite a good amount of time to record clear signals from a specific region on the ground.

Other payloads on PSLV-C45

The PSLV-C45 mission will also launch 28 other commercial satellites for a range of uses, including earth observation, internet of things (IoT) satellites and navigation. Here’s more about **what each of them is and what they're capable of** . [caption id=“attachment_6324861” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] The PSLV-C40 mission launching from ISRO’s launchpad at Sriharikota. Image: ISRO[/caption] ISRO has shared an update on 31 March suggesting that the mission launch will go as planned, with more updates to come leading up to liftoff hours from now.

🇮🇳 #ISROMissions 🇮🇳

An evening in Sriharikota! All set for the launch of #PSLVC45 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on April 1 at 09:30 am (IST). On board #EMISAT & 28 foreign satellites. Our updates will continue.

Photo: Dhayalan V, SDSC pic.twitter.com/0u3OjDTBjS

— ISRO (@isro) March 30, 2019

When and where to watch the EMISAT launch live

The PSLV-C45 mission will launch on 1 April aboard a modified version of the PSLV rocket. The overall flight sequence will take roughly 180 minutes, starting with the launch at 9.30 am ISRO on Monday, 1 April.

A live stream of the launch and separation will be available on Doordarshan National‘s  YouTube page or  ISRO’s website starting 9 am Monday, 1 April.