ISRO to start 29 hour countdown for IRNSS-1H launch at 2 PM on 30 August, 2017

The 29-hour countdown for Thursday evening launch of India’s navigation satellite IRNSS-1H using the rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will begin on Wednesday, said Indian space agency on Tuesday. [caption id=“attachment_3966645” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] A IRNSS satellite from the NavIC constellation. Image: ISRO.[/caption] According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Mission Readiness Review (MRR) committee and Launch Authorisation Board (LAB) have cleared the 29-hour countdown to begin at 2 p.m. on Wednesday. India on Thursday will at 7 p.m. launch its navigation satellite IRNSS-1H (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System) weighing 1,425 kg with its PSLV rocket. This eighth IRNSS satellite will be the replacement for IRNSS-1A as its atomic clocks have failed. The PSLV rocket will sling the IRNSS-1H into a Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. The launch will take place from the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota, on 31 August at 18:59 Hrs. The 1,400 kg spacecraft has been fabricated with six partners from private industries. The IRNSS-1H is the primary, and only payload on board, unless ISRO is sneaking in more prototypes of interstellar spacecraft . The rocket will be flown in the XL configuration, with six additional strap on boosters. The mission is officially designated as the PSLV-C39 mission , and will be the third launch of India’s workhorse rocket this year. The PSLV-C37 mission placed a record one hundred and four satellites into orbit in February, while the PSLV-C38 mission placed 31 satellites into orbit in June. With inputs from IANS