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Announcing this, Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman Dr S Kasturirangan told visiting newspersons that the success of the mission will culminate ISRO's ten-year-long effort in developing indigenous capability to launch INSAT class communication satellites into the geo-synchronous transfer orbit.
"We have successfully carried out all the ground tests and simulations and I am very much confident of the success of the mission."
He said the rehearsal 20-hour countdown began on Tuesday evening and it would be followed up with another one on Thursday.
With the present level of preparations, the vehicle would be launched at 1547 hours on March 28. If unforeseen circumstances postponed the launch, another attempt would be made at 1941 hours.
More than three hours had been set aside to set right last minute snags, he added.
The main objective of the mission was to achieve self-reliance in launching 2000 kg class communication satellites into the Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit. India has hitherto been depending on other space agencies, like France's Ariane, to put its satellite into the GTO.
Dr Kasturirangan said the 401-tonne and 49m tall three-stage vehicle would place the 1540 kg experimental satellite GSAT-1 in GTO after a 1060 second flight after lift-off. Initially, the satellite would be placed above the eastern part of Indonesia.
Though exhaustive tests have been carried out on the vehicle on the ground, there may be 'small gaps' during the flight, he said adding that 'we will keep our fingers crossed'.
However, he exuded confidence about the success of the mission citing the various minute tests and simulations that have been carried out.
Dr Kasturirangan said ISRO's vehicle would employ a new concept and there would be complexities in the first and second stage separations. The first stage comprised a 125 tonne solid propellant motor with four liquid propellant strap-on motors around it.
The second stage is loaded with 37.5 tonne liquid propellants and the third and crucial stage uses cryogenic engines imported from Russia. This stage employs liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
Explaining the profile of the mission, Project Director R V Perumal said that the main focus was to test the vehicle and demonstrate its capabilities. He said the first stage would be operational for 160 seconds and take the vehicle from the ground level to an altitude of 74 km at a velocity of 2.6 km per second.
The second stage would burn for 150 seconds, during which the vehicle would reach an altitude of 155 km at a speed of 5.2 km per second.
The cryo stage would burn for a maximum of 750 seconds at the end of which it will give the spacecraft the required injection velocity of 10.2 km per second to place the satellite in the highly elliptical GTO before separating from the satellite at an altitude of 195 km.
The satellite will have a perigee of 180 km and an apogee of about 36,000 km.
The GSLV incorporates several systems that had been used in the PSLV in May, 1999 and this gives us enough confidence about its success, Perumal said.
UNI
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