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It was yet another successful 'textbook' launch by the Indian Space Research Organisation relying on its workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle to put five British satellites in to the orbit.
It was 21.57.50 hrs with pin drop silence on the rooftop of the media centre in the Satish Dhawan Space Research Centre when the ten second countdown started for the launch.
With 5 seconds to go, a bright orange light glowed all over behind the dense carpet of trees on the East. The majestic Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle slowly roared from the first launch pad with an orange flame in the tail in to sky carrying five foreign satellites.
The rocket gradually picked up speed with loud noise and vanished behind the thick clouds.
The silence at the rooftop soon turned in to celebration with applause by the huge contingent of media persons assembled to cover the night launch.
The launch was unique. PSLV, in its thirtieth flight (PSLV-C28), with an overall lift-off mass of the five satellites amounting to about 1,440 kg, was the heaviest commercial mission ever. The contract was struck by Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of ISRO.
The rocket launched three identical DMC3 optical earth observation satellites.
It also carried two auxiliary satellites from UK --- CBNT-1, a technology demonstrator earth observation micro satellite built by SSTL, and De-OrbitSail, a technology demonstrator nano satellite built by Surrey Space Centre.
AS Kiran Kumar, Chairman, ISRO, speaking from the mission control room after the launch said, "it was an entirely successful launch for a customer. This time a set of new tool was developed. Five satellites for a customer were put into orbit for a customer."
Just over 17 minutes into the flight, the rocket started ejecting the DMC3 satellites one after another, and followed by De-OrbitSail and CNBT-1 satellites.
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