PSLV-C6 is the ninth flight of India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). In its past eight flights, this 295 tonne, 44 metre tall, workhorse launch vehicle of ISRO has launched six Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites as well as a meteorological satellite KALPANA-1. Besides, it has launched four satellites as auxiliary payloads for customers from abroad. The previous seven flights of PSLV have been consecutively successful in orbiting the satellites carried on board.

PSLV-C6 is the first flight to be launched from the Second Launch Pad (SLP) at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota, which is India’s spaceport. Located on the east coast of India, SDSC SHAR is about 80 km to the north of Chennai (Lat 13.6 deg Long 80.2). It provides the necessary infrastructure for launching satellites.