ISRO Begins Countdown for First Launch of the Year with PSLV Mission

• ISRO commenced a 22.5-hour countdown on January 11 for its first launch of the year.
• The PSLV-C62 rocket will carry an earth observation satellite and 14 co-passenger satellites into orbit.
• The mission, managed by NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), is scheduled for lift-off at 10:18 hrs on January 12.
• The mission includes deploying an Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-N1) and demonstrating the Kestrel Initial Technology Demonstrator (KID) capsule.
• The PS4 stage and KID capsule will re-enter Earth's atmosphere and splashdown in the South Pacific Ocean.

Why It Matters: ISRO's first launch of the year with PSLV-C62 will deploy 15 satellites and test re-entry technology.