Liftoff occurred at 12:30 a.m. EDT (04:30 GMT) from the First Launch Pad (FLP) of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, India. The mission, designated PSLV-C30, employed the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) for the thirty-first time in the booster's history.

The mission lasted about 25 minutes and 32 seconds when all the seven satellites separated from the launch vehicle. After lift-off, the PSLV rocket climbed vertically, gradually losing its ground-lit strap-on solid rocket boosters, which are used to augment the thrust provided by the first stage. Then, about 1 minute and 52 seconds into the mission, the vehicle's first stage separated. After the second and third stage separation, the launch vehicle continued its ascent to a targeted altitude of about 404 miles (650 km), where the satellites were deployed.

Fully integrated PSLV-C30 core stage with strap-ons at the mobile service tower. Photo Credit: ISRO

The most important passenger of the mission is likely the Indian Astrosat spacecraft. It is the country's first dedicated astronomical satellite that will be used for the simultaneous multi-wavelength observations of various celestial objects.

Astrosat will be used to observe the universe in the optical, ultraviolet, low and high energy X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Whereas most other, similar satellites are capable of observing a narrow range of wavelength band.

Multi-wavelength observations made using Astrosat can be further extended with coordinated observations using other spacecraft and ground-based observations. All major astronomical Institutions and some universities in India will participate in these observations.

"The capability to cover the full spectrum of wavelength simultaneously is the unique feature of Astrosat," said Mylswamy Annadurai, the director of ISRO's Satellite Centre in Bengaluru.