Microsat-R Mission
1/24/2019
As of December 30, 2018, a news paragraph described PSLV-C44 as slated to carry a 150/200-kg Microsat-R to a low-Earth polar orbit.
As of January 24, 2019, a news report described Microsat-R as a 740-kg imaging satellite to be placed into a polar orbit at approximately 274 km.
Press reports on the eve of the PSLV-C44 launch quoted Microsat-R's launch mass as approximately 740 kg.
Microsat-R was launched on 2019-01-24 aboard PSLV-C44 into a roughly 274 km circular Sun-synchronous orbit with inclination near 96°.
Microsat-R is cataloged as 2019-006A and had a published TLE epoch 2019-03-27 04:47 UTC showing an orbit of approximately 260 km x 282 km with inclination 96.64°.
A subsequent TLE for Microsat-R with epoch 2019-03-27 07:46 UTC showed an orbit of approximately 249 km x 286 km with inclination 96.75°.
India conducted the 2019 Mission Shakti ASAT test, which destroyed a satellite and created orbital debris.
Two days after the 2019-03-27 test, the U.S. Air Force was tracking 250 pieces of debris created when India’s PDV-Mk II intercepted Microsat-R at 280 km.