National space agency ISRO has scheduled its first launch this year on Thursday next week. PSLV C-44 will lift off from the spaceport Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, carrying a student satellite called Kalamsat and an imaging satellite known as Microsat-R. One of the specialities of the mission this time would be the configuration of the rocket. It will carry only two strap-on motors by the sides of the first fuel stage at the bottom.

This is the first time the launch vehicle is built in this configuration, known as PSLV-DL. Furthermore, after parking the satellites in the intended orbits, the fourth stage of the rocket will be taken to a circular orbit in space for carrying out certain experiments by the scientists. Normally, the fourth stage would be deserted in space after the injection of the satellites. This time, it will be kept ‘live’ for carrying out innovative studies.