Countdown for PSLV-C45 mission begins: Here are 5 things you need to know

The countdown for the launch of India’s EMISAT satellite along with 28 nano satellites of global customers from Sriharikota began on Sunday. The mission, scheduled for Monday, will witness the ISRO placing payloads in three orbits and conducting space experiments for the first time.

Here are five things you need to know about the PSLV-C45, will blast off from the second launch pad at the spaceport of Sriharikota at 9:27 am on Monday:

• PSLV, also used in India's two key missions -- "Chandrayan" in 2008 and Mars Orbiter in 2013, is a reliable and versatile launch vehicle for ISRO with 39 consecutive successful flights till June, 2017 and five-in-a row from January 2018.

• In Monday's mission, ISRO scientists would place the satellites and payloads in three different orbits, a first for the agency. After injecting the 436 kg primary satellite EMISAT, intended for electromagnetic spectrum measurement, at around 17 minutes from lift off in a 749 km orbit, they would restart the fourth stage again.

• The fourth stage would be reignited and further lowered to 485 kms orbit to serve as an orbital platform for carrying out space borne experimentations for the first time in ISRO's history.

• According to ISRO, this is the first time it has been envisaged to provide a micro-gravity environment for research organisations and academic institutes to perform experiments.

• The rocket has encountered only two failures so far -- its maiden developmental flight ended unsuccessful way back in 1993. In September, 2017 the flight went off without any hitch but the IRNSS-1H Satellite could not be released into orbit after the PSLV-C39's heat shield failed to open on reaching the orbit.