The nineteenth space mission of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV C-17 is scheduled to blast off from the space station at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh at 1648 hrs today. The PSLV C17- will launch India’s communication satellite GSAT-12 to meet the country’s growing demand for communication transponders. ISRO is using the most powerful version of PSLV configuration for this mission.The GSAT-12, India’s latest communication satellite built by ISRO has 12 Extended C-band transponders will augment the capacity in the INSAT system for various communication services like Tele-education, Telemedicine and for Village Resource Centres. The launch vehicle has four stages using solid and liquid propulsion systems alternately. The first stage also has six solid propellant strap-on motors (PSOM-XL), each carrying 12 tonnes of solid propellants for higher payload capability. The PSLV C-17 stands 44.4 metres tall and weighs more than 300 tonnes at lift-off.According to ISRO sources, the PSLV will launch GSAT -12 into a sub- Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit with a 284km perigee and an apogee of 21,000 km with an inclination of 17.9 degrees with respect to the equatorial plane. Subsequently through a series of complex orbit raising manoeuvres, the GSAT-12 would be finally placed in the circular Geostationary Orbit. GSAT-12 will be positioned at 83 degrees East longitude and co-located with INSAT-2E and INSAT -4A satellites. It has an expected mission life of about eight years.