First satellite mission from India

India is all set to launch PSLV C-6 from Sriharikota Space Center on May 5, New Delhi TV reported Monday. This will be the first time two &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/main/2001/07/13/10032.html ' target=_blank>satellites will be launched in a single mission from India.

The first one is Cartosat I, a 1.5 ton remote sensing satellite which will send 3D images with 2.5 m resolution, crucial for the country's mapping and town planning.

The other is a microsatellite called Hamsat. Expert believes this will usher in a revolution in Amateur Ham communication across South Asia.

India has also developed a first of its kind universal launching pad at a cost of 4 billion rupees. Besides the present vehicle, all future generation vehicles of &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/society/2001/09/04/14189.html ' target=_blank>India Space Research Organization (ISRO) can be launched from this pad, saving huge costs and enabling frequent launching of satellites, the report said. The countdown to the launch will begin on May 3. With a track record of seven successive launches, ISRO is quite confident of a successful mission, publishes Top Tech News.

According to Sci-Tech News, the first satellite is Cartosat I, the country's latest advanced remote sensing satellite weighing 1,560 kilograms, which will send 3-D images crucial for the country's mapping and town planning. "We expect that in one year's time, we will complete the mapping operation," K. Narayana, director of the Satish Dhawan Space Center told New Delhi Television.

Besides mapping, the satellite will also help track the growth of cities, laying of arterial roads and other aspects of town planning.

Hamsat, the second satellite, is a microsatellite weighing 42.5 kilograms that is expected to revolutionize amateur ham radio communication in South Asia. The PSLV has been built by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, which is part of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). It has launched four small satellites for international customers besides seven Indian satellites, an ISRO statement said.

The PSLV will also be used to launch a spacecraft for India's first mission to the moon, called Chandrayaan-1, ISRO said. ISRO chairman G. Madhavan Nair has said the satellites will bridge the "digital divide" between people living in urban and rual areas. "Our satellites can now track small objects on earth. We have also attained self reliance in launching them," the Hindu newspaper quoted Nair as saying.