PSLV-C3

Mission parameters

• Mass:
  • Total liftoff weight: 294,000 kilograms (648,000 lb)
  • Payload weight: 1,294 kilograms (2,853 lb)
• Overall height: 44.4 metres (145.7 ft)
• Propellant:
  • First stage: Solid HTPB based (138.0 + 54 tonnes)
  • Second stage: Liquid UDMH + N₂O₄ (40 tonnes)
  • Third stage: Solid HTPB based (7 tonnes)
  • Fourth stage: Liquid MMH + MON (2.0 tonnes)
• Engine:
  • First stage: S139
  • Second stage: Vikas
  • Third stage:
  • Fourth stage: 2 x PS-4
• Thrust:
  • First stage: 4,430 + 677 x 6 kN
  • Second stage: 724 kN
  • Third stage: 324 kN
  • Fourth stage: 7.4 x 2 kN
• Altitude: 586.7 kilometres (365 mi)
• Maximum velocity:7,593 metres per second (24,911 ft/s) (recorded at time of fourth stage ignition)
• Duration: 1,658 seconds

Payload

PSLV-C3 carried and deployed total three satellites. Technology Experiment Satellite (TES) was the main payload and BIRD and PROBA were two auxiliary payloads that were mounted on PSLV-C3. In the flight sequence, TES was injected first, followed by BIRD and then PROBA.

Launch and planned flight profile

PSLV-C3 was launched at 10:23 a.m. IST on 22 October 2001 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (then called "Sriharikota Launching Range"). The mission was planned with pre-flight prediction of covering overall distance of 586.668 kilometres (365 mi). The total flight time was 1658 seconds as PROBA was to be launched into an elliptical orbit after TES and BIRD were launched into a circular orbit. The orbit raise was done using the yaw RCS thrusters in off-modulated mode.

Following was the planned flight profile.

Fourth Stage Break-up event

The fourth stage of the PSLV had undergone a break-up event on 19 December 2001, likely caused by an explosion. After the explosion of PSLV-C3, ISRO carried out passivation of the upper stages of the PSLV, from the PSLV-C4 mission onwards. As per ISRO, this event generated 386 debris objects, of which 76 were in orbit in 2021, falling to 41 by 2025.