ISRO ushers in 2011 with a successful PSLV-C16 launch

Sriharikota: The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) first PSLV launch of the year was entirely successful with the PSLV-C16 rocket successfully orbiting the ResourceSat-2 satellite along with two other nano satellites. ResourceSat-2 is ISRO's latest remote sensing satellite designed to help study, and manage, natural resources.

The PSLV mission placed the three satellites in a polar sun synchronous orbit including the Resourcesat-2, the Russian Youthsat and the Singaporean X-Sat about 18 minutes after blast off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre launch pad here at 10.12 am.

"PSLV-C16 Resourcesat-2 mission is successful," a visibly pleased ISRO chairman, K Radhakrishnan, announced shortly after all the three satellites were released into orbit, one after the other, 822 km above the earth in a text-book launch.

The ISRO chief's announcement was cheered by assembled scientists at the Mission Control Centre who had experienced a failure of the prestigious GSLV mission last year.

The 1,206 kg ResourceSat-2, with a space life of five years, replaces ResourceSat-1 launched in 2003 and would provide data with enhanced multi-spectral and spatial coverage on natural resources.

Today's PSLV flight is the workhorse rocket's 17th successive successful mission after the failure of its maiden voyage in September 1993.