The over 25-hour countdown for the launch of India’s heavy-lift rocket GSLV-Mk III, carrying communication satellite GSAT-19, from the space port of Sriharikota began Sunday, ISRO said.
The GSLV-Mk III-D1 rocket is scheduled for lift off at 5.28 pm tomorrow from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, around 120 km from here.
“The 25-and-half hour countdown for the launch of GSLV-Mk III-D1, carrying the 3,136 kg GSAT-19 satellite, commenced at 3.58 pm, soon after the Mission Readiness Review Committee and Launch Authorisation Board gave the clearance,” Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.
ISRO Chairman A S Kiran Kumar said the mission is important as “it was the heaviest ever rocket and satellite to be launched from the country.”
Till now, ISRO had to depend on foreign launchers for communication satellites weighing more than 2,300 kg. The GSLV-Mk III-D1 is capable of lifting payloads of up to 4,000 kg into the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) and 10,000 kg into the Low Earth Orbit.
In tomorrow’s mission, the vehicle is scheduled to launch the GSAT-19 into the GTO at 16.20 minutes after lift-off.
Earlier, ISRO had launched the 3,404 kg GSAT-18 communication satellite from Ariane, French Guiana.
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