PSLV-C47/CartoSAT-3 launch: Online registration now open to catch it live from ISRO's viewing gallery on 25 Nov

The countdown to ISRO's upcoming launch of India's CartoSAT-3 satellite along with 13 other American nanosatellites is closing in. There are now fewer than five days till the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) lifts the ridesharing satellites to orbit, on 25 November at 9.28 am IST.

ISRO has opened the doors of its 5,000-seater Launch Viewing Gallery in Sriharikota to a selection of registered viewers. They can watch all launches from there. The gallery was inaugurated on 31 March this year by the Chairman of ISRO, Dr K Sivan, with the launch of PSLV-C45/EMISAT, which was ISRO's first to place satellites in three different orbits in a single launch.

ISRO tweeted a confirmation Tuesday that the online registration process to watch the PSLV mission launch started at 8 am on 20 November.

Here's where you can register yourself a seat right in the thick of it on launch day.

The PSLV-C46 rocket lifting off from Sriharikota with RISAT-2B. Image: ISRO

ISRO's launch viewing gallery

Its location ensures that there’s a clear line of sight to the two launchpads of the Sriharikota range. All the visitors will be able to simply enter the gallery after registering and enjoy watching rocket launches. Since this falls under its awareness program, ISRO will try to educate the viewers about the launch using large screens at the venue. ISRO is going to make an effort to explain all the little details about whatever mission is launching at that time.

An aerial view of the 5000-seater launch viewing gallery. Image: VSSC

ISRO also plans to host explainers about pre- and post-launch activities to all viewers and also telecast the same for everyone to view online on its website and YouTube channel.

Primary payload on PSLV-C47: India's CartoSAT-3 satellite 

CartoSAT-3 is the third in a series of indigenous Earth observation satellites built by ISRO. With its highly-advanced remote sensing capability, CartoSAT-3 is a leap of advancement over its predecessor CartoSAT-2, with a wider spatial range (of view) and finer resolution (of up to 0.25 metres or 25 centimetres).

If all goes to plan, the satellite will be placed at an altitude of 509 km, at an inclination of 97.5 degrees by mid-day on 25 November.

CartoSAT-3 is undoubtedly one of the most advanced imaging satellites ever built by ISRO, with the capability to produce some of the most high-resolution aerial imagery in the world — certainly the highest of any ISRO satellites. It will also image across multiple spectra — panchromatic (captures all visible colours of light), multispectral (captures light within specific ranges in the electromagnetic spectrum) and hyperspectral (captures light from across the electromagnetic spectrum) earth observation mission.

Of the fourteen passengers on the PSLV-C47, thirteen are commercial nanosatellites from the US, part of a commercial arrangement between NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), Department of Space.

ISRO also has two PSLV rideshare missions lined up in December 2019. Customers with satellites on the PSLV-C46 and PSLV-C47 rideshare missions include Boston-based satellite communications company Analytical Space, American data and analytics company Spire Global, Cambodian small SAR-satellite manufacturers iQPS, and Luxembourg-based Kleos Space, Spaceflight announced last week.

Also read: ISRO's PSLV-C47 rideshare carrying CartoSAT-3 may launch by end of November