India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C14, in its 16th Mission launched 958 kg Oceansat-2 and six nano-satellites into a 720 km. intended Sun Synchronous Polar Orbit (SSPO) on September 23, 2009.

PSLV is a four-stage launch vehicle employing both solid and liquid propulsion stages. PSLV is the trusted workhorse launch Vehicle of ISRO. During Sep. 1993 – Apr. 2009 period, PSLV had fifteen launches of which fourteen were consecutively successful. PSLV has repeatedly proved its reliability and versatility by launching 39 spacecrafts (17 Indian and 22 for international customers) into a variety of orbits so far. It may be recalled that during its previous mission, PSLV had successfully launched RISAT-2 and ANUSAT spacecrafts on April 20, 2009.

In its standard configuration, the 44 m tall PSLV has a lift-off mass of 295 tonne. It is a four-stage launch vehicle with the first and the third stages as well as the six strap-ons surrounding the first stage using HTPB based solid propellant. PSLV’s first stage is one of the largest solid propellant boosters in the world. Its second and fourth stages use liquid propellants.

This mission is unique for PSLV as this is the first time that new AMC/ATS based avionics is being used for a typical SSPO mission. A Core Alone configuration of the vehicle with PS4 L2.5 stage is being employed to put the satellites in orbit. This is the fifth mission of PSLV in Core alone configuration.

The payload included maiden home grown satellites from Switzerland and Turkey. SwissCube, a satellite designed entirely by engineering students, has been Switzerland’s first home-grown satellite. “ITUpSAT1″, is the first Turkish-made satellite developed by scholars at Istanbul Technical University’s Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics.