ISRO PSLV-C50 Launching Communication Satellite CMS-01 Today: Everything You Need To Know

ISRO is all set to launch the communication satellite CMS-01 today (December 17), and the premier space agency has begun the countdown. The satellite will liftoff aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C50), which would mark the vehicle's 22nd mission. ISRO tweeted that the satellite will launch at 3:41 PM today.

The launch vehicle and the satellite are ready for the liftoff from the second launch pad at the spaceport of Sriharikota. However, ISRO also noted that the scheduled departure might vary according to the weather conditions. ISRO's tweet also mentioned, "Filling of fuel for the fourth stage (PS4) of PSLV-C50 completed."

ISRO Communication Satellite CMS-01 Explained

ISRO is all set to launch one of the most important equipment - the CMS-01, which is a communication satellite. The CMS-01 is the 42nd communication satellite that ISRO has designed and developed, which will be used for several services in India.

For one, the communication satellite will be providing Extended-C Band of the frequency spectrum covering India, Andaman and Nicobar, and Lakshadweep islands. Apart from this, the communication satellite will continue sweeping across the country, providing the required bandwidth.

Countdown for the launch of #PSLVC50/#CMS01 mission commenced today at 1441 Hrs (IST) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota.

Launch is scheduled tomorrow at 1541 Hrs IST . pic.twitter.com/oYURy06OGc

— ISRO (@isro) December 16, 2020

ISRO PSLV-C50 Gears Up

The ISRO CMS-01 satellite will liftoff into the low-Earth orbit via the PSLV-C50 launch vehicle. The upcoming flight will mark the 22nd flight from Earth. The launch vehicle plays a pivotal role in ISRO's launches and is geared with an 'XL' configuration. In other words, the PSLV-C50 is equipped with six strap-on motors.

The upcoming launch will follow the previous successful launch of the PSLV-C49, which carried the Earth observation satellite EOS-01 and nine other customer equipment on November 7. Due to the pandemic and the consequent lockdown, the liftoff on November 7 marked the first launch of 2020.

How To Watch ISRO PSLV-C50 Launch?

As noted, the upcoming liftoff is scheduled to take place at 3:41 PM today (December 17), and this would be the 77th launch from Sriharikota. There are several platforms to Livestream the launch event, including ISRO's official Twitter handle.