Oceansat-2 set for launch from Sriharikota today

Wednesday 23 September, 2009.

Oceansat-2 set for launch from Sriharikota today

Oceansat-2 satellite that would help identify potential fishing zones and provide inputs for weather forecasting is poised to be launched into orbit on board the Polar Launch Satellite Vehicle from the spaceport of Sriharikota in the east coast, 90 kms from Chennai on Wednesday.

Riding piggyback on the 970 kg Oceansat-2, six other nano satellites -four from Germany and one each from Switzerland and Turkey would be ejected into space by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s workhorse PSLV, which launched India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft on its maiden moon mission.

The final 51-hour countdown for the launch began at 9 am on Monday and has been "progressing normally", ISRO spokesperso

"All parameters are normal and efforts are on for a smooth launch," he said, adding the weather was absolutely fine for the launch.

The launch window for the lift off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh is fixed between 11.51 am and 12.06 pm.

Oceansat-2, India's 16th remote sensing satellite, is intended for identification of potential fishing zones, sea state forecasting, coastal zone studies and providing inputs for weather forecasting and climate studies.

An in-orbit replacement to Oceansat-1, used to study physical and biological aspects of oceanography, which has completed 10 years of its space journey, Oceansat-2 would have a mission life of five years.

n S Satish told the news agency.