World comes to India for satellite launches

Nellore: Proving its reliability once again, India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C23) successfully launched French earth observation satellite SPOT-7 along with four other foreign satellites (two from Canada and one each from Germany and Singapore) into the designated orbits on Monday.

The PSLV, in its 26th consecutive successful flight, lifted off majestically at 9.52 am from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Shar, in Sriharikota. The launch was originally scheduled for 9.49 am on Monday, but it was delayed by 3 minutes to avoid the possibility of space debris coming in the way of the launch vehicle.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed the launch along with Union ministers M. Venkaiah Naidu, Jithendra Singh, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan. Former Isro chiefs Prof. U.R. Rao and Kasthuri Rangan were also present.

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The Prime Minister said, “I feel specially privileged to witness this event in person. India’s advanced space programme puts her in an elite global group of 5to 6 countries today. This is one domain in which we are at the cutting edge, and are pushed beyond mediocrity to achieve the excellence.”

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“We have launched satellites of advanced nations. The PSLV has launched 67 satellites, and 40 of them have been foreign satellites, coming from 19 countries. Even today’s satellites are all from developed nations, France, Canada, Germany and Singapore. Truly, this is a global endorsement of India’s space capabilities,” he added.

The earth monitoring satellite SPOT-7 has been developed by Airbus Defence and Space, France, and it is identical to SPOT-6, which was launched earlier in September 2012.
The 714-kg SPOT-7, after its injection into the Sun Synchronous Orbit, will be phased and placed diametrically opposite SPOT-6 and will form part of the existing earth observation constellation.

Watch: ISRO successfully launches PSLV C-23

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