By IANS,
Chennai : Some time between Sep 20 and 25, India will launch a specialised satellite to watch over the Indian Ocean, an official of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said Monday.
Oceansat 2 will be launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) into a sun-synchronous orbit 720 km above the earth, the official said on phone from ISRO’s launch centre at Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh), 70 km from here.
The PSLV will also carry a number of small “nano” satellites, the official said on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media.
“The PSLV is now standing tall at the launch pad as the integration of the four-stage rocket is being completed,” the official said, adding that tests on the satellite were also on.
Oceansat 2 is expected to provide India with information about the state of the Indian Ocean, including better data about the movement of the monsoon winds vital to Indian agriculture.