WAM New Delhi, Apr 20 (WAM)--The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched three satellites today. The primary mission of the launch was to put a sophisticated earth observation satellite, Resourcesat-2, which has three cameras and another system to monitor the movement of ships.
India now has a total of 10 satellites for remote sensing of earth and ocean waters, and a few more are due to be launched to track the movement of very small vessels as a result of the 26/11 terror attacks on India's commercial capital of Mumbai by killers who had infiltrated through the sea.
One of the other satellites belonged to the Singapore-based Nanyang Technological University, and the other represented the joint Indo-Russian project called Youthsat for atmospheric studies. Both these are mini.
ISRO used its highly successful workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) to lift the three satellites, weighing a total of 1404 kg. The rocket was fired from Sriharikota, India's main space station in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
India has also been working on developing cryogenic engines, that operate with super-cooled oxygen and hydrogen. Russia has provided some assistance so far but recently, the US aerospace major Boeing offered the "cryogenic tank technology" also to India, indicating the relaxation of US technology export regime which had been strongly against India till very recently.
US Administration now says that it has lifted most of the denial conditions against India, both in defence and dual use technologies.
Data from the satellites can be used for communication, television, urban and forest development, mineral prospecting, disaster management, ocean resource management, and in some cases, even in intelligence. One of the satellites due to be launched later this year will have highly advanced day and night 24 x 7 cameras.
WAM G WAM/MN
