PSLV-C6

PSLV-C6 was the sixth operational launch and overall ninth mission of the PSLV program. This launch was also the fifty-fourth launch by Indian Space Research Organisation since its first mission on 1 January 1962. The vehicle carried and injected India's two satellites; Cartosat-1 (a.k.a. IRS-P5) and HAMSAT into the Sun-synchronous orbit. PSLV-C6 was launched at 04:44 hours Coordinated Universal Time (10:14 hours Indian Standard Time) on 5 May 2005 from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

Mission highlights

 * Sixth operational launch of the PSLV program.
 * Overall ninth mission of the PSLV program.
 * Overall fifty-fourth launch by Indian Space Research Organisation.
 * First flight to be launched from the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
 * Carried and injected two satellites built by ISRO.

Mission parameters

 * Mass:
 * Total liftoff weight: 295980 kg
 * Payload weight: 1,602.5 kg
 * Overall height: 44.4 m
 * Propellant:
 * First stage: Solid HTPB based (138.0 + 6 x 9 tonnes)
 * Second stage: Liquid UH 25 + (41.5 tonnes)
 * Third stage: Solid HTPB based (7.6 tonnes)
 * Fourth stage: Liquid MMH + MON (2.5 tonnes)
 * Engine:
 * First stage: Core (PS 1) + 6 strap-on PSOM
 * Second stage: Vikas
 * Third stage: PS 3
 * Fourth stage: PS 4
 * Thrust:
 * First stage: 4,762 + 645 x 6 kN
 * Second stage: 800 kN
 * Third stage: 246 kN
 * Fourth stage: 7.3 x 2 kN
 * Altitude: 628.535 km
 * Maximum velocity:7546 m/s (recorded at time of payload separation)
 * Duration: 1,120 seconds

Payload
PSLV-C6 carried and deployed two Indian satellites, Cartosat-1 (a.k.a. IRS-P5) and HAMSAT into the Sun-synchronous orbit. Built by ISRO, Cartosat-1 was a stereoscopic remote sensing satellite and first of the Cartosat series of satellites. HAMSAT was a microsatellite, built for providing satellite based amateur radio satellite to the national as well as the international community of amateur radio operators (HAM).

Launch & planned flight profile
PSLV-C6 was launched at 04:44 hours Coordinated Universal Time (10:14 hours Indian Standard Time) on 5 May 2005 from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The mission was planned with pre-flight prediction of covering overall distance of 622 km. Following was the flight profile.