ISRO successfully launches CARTOSAT-3, 13 US nano satellites
Sriharikota: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday successfully injected into orbit its earth imaging and mapping satellite CARTOSAT-3 along with 13 commercial nano satellites from the United States.
With cloudy skies in the back ground, the 44.4 metre tall PSLV C47 rocket lifted off majestically at 9.28 am from the second launch pad at this spaceport here.
CARTOSAT-3, India's most complex and advanced earth imaging satellite built so far, was placed into orbit 17 minutes and 46 seconds after lift-off, the immediate mission after Chandrayaan 2, where the lander crashed while making a soft descent on the lunar surface on September 7.
All the 13 nano satellites from the US were released into the orbit at 26 minutes and 56 seconds after liftoff, ISRO said.
ISRO Chairman K Sivan and other scientists broke into cheers as the earth imaging and mapping satellite was injected precisely into the desired orbit.
Later, speaking from the Mission Control Centre, Sivan said, "I am extremely happy to declare that PSLV-C47 precisely injected CARTOSAT-3 and 13 customer satellites successfully in the desired orbit of 509 kms."
"CARTOSAT-3 is India's highest resolution civilian satellite, and the most complex and advanced earth obvservation satellite ISRO has built so far," he said.
He congratulated the teams behind both the satellite as well as the launch vehicle, besides various review teams and industry partners involved in the mission.
On future missions, the ISRO chief said, "Our hands are full," with 13 missions slated upto March 2020. "They combine some six launch vehicle missions and seven satellite missions," he said.
Team ISRO will rise to the occassion and meet challenges and make every mission a grand success, a beaming Sivan said as relief was writ large on his face since the earlier mission Chandrayaan-2 did not yield the desired results.
With an overall mass of 1,625 kg, CARTOSAT-3 would address increased user's demands for large scale urban planning, rural resource and infrastructure development, coastal land use and land cover.
It will also serve military purposes. PSLV-C47 is the 21st flight of PSLV in 'XL' configuration (with 6 solid strap-on motors).
The 13 commercial nano-satellites from the US are being carried as part of commercial arrangement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) of the Department of Space.
Among the 13 commercial nano satellites are FLOCK-4P, 12 in numbers, with mission objective of earth observation, and one satellite named MESHBED, whose objective is communication test bed.
ISRO has said this would be the 74th launch vehicle mission from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The PSLV is in its 49th mission while PSLV-XL variant on its 21st mission.
CASRTOSAT-3 is the ninth in the Cartosat series and today's launch is the fifth for ISRO in 2019.
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Akash Singh says signature celebration fuels motivation, reinforces dominance
Lucknow (PTI): Pacer Akash Singh caught the eye with his unique celebration during Lucknow Super Giants' win over Chennai Super Kings, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket after a wicket, a gesture he said was aimed at "motivating" himself and "asserting dominance" over batters.
The left-arm pacer pulled out a scrappy piece of paper after each of the three wickets he took in LSG seven-wicket win over CSK, with the message reading: "Akki on fire -- Akash knows how to take wickets in T20 cricket.
The 24-year-old, who began his IPL journey with Rajasthan Royals and was part of Chennai Super Kings’ title-winning campaign in 2023 before moving to Lucknow Super Giants, registered his best IPL figures with 3 for 26 on Friday.
"'Akki knows how to take wickets in T20 cricket', right?" Akash said when asked about the message on the piece of paper, adding that it serves as a source of motivation and helps him focus on dominating batters and delivering stronger performances for the team.
"Different things motivate different people. Some days I show the paper, some days I don't, but it reflects my mindset on that particular day. When you carry a piece of paper with something written on it, you manifest things and the most important part is when those manifestations actually materialise," he added.
Akash, who hails from Bharatpur in Rajasthan, said the strong backing from the Lucknow Super Giants support staff over the last two years had played a huge role in his growth as a cricketer.
"I've been with LSG for two years and the most important thing has been the backing from the coaches, even when I'm not in the playing XI. This year we have Bharat Arun sir, last year Zaheer sir was there...Tom Moody. The way they guide us, prepare us and keep us ready for opportunities is very important when there are 25 players in the squad," he said.
"When you are not playing, you naturally seek backing and every player wants to make the most of the opportunities he gets. The support from the captain also matters a lot and with Rishabh bhaiya backing you, the confidence grows and you are able to perform better," Akash said, referring to Rishabh Pant.
Akash said Pant had asked him to trust his strengths ahead of the clash against CSK.
"He told me that the new ball is my strength and that I can swing it both ways. So I just tried to make the best use of my skills. The wicket also had good bounce, so I focused on using the bouncer effectively,” added Akash.
On his success against CSK, Akash said his experience of playing in the IPL since 2020, including a stint with CSK, helped him understand the opposition batters better, while backing his own strengths with the ball also played a key role in his impressive spell.
"Obviously, when you play in the IPL and have shared the dressing room with some players, you understand their strengths and weaknesses. My focus was first to back my own strengths, then exploit their weaknesses and also make the best use of what the wicket was offering," Akash said.
Akash said he had sensed over the last two-three games that an opportunity could come his way after being repeatedly told to "be ready", though he admitted he was unfortunate not to get a chance earlier.
"Two days before the match, during practice, I was told to be ready," he said.
Clarifying that he had not been carrying the piece of paper in anticipation, Akash said he often notes down thoughts that could help improve his game..
"Whenever I’m alone or about to sleep, any thought that comes to my mind which can help my cricket, I write it down. The other night I got this thought and jotted it down on paper," he added.
