Sriharikota, On an early Thursday morning, an Indian rocket successfully launched into orbit a microwave Radar Imaging Satellite (Risat-1) from the spaceport here in Andhra Pradesh, around 80 km from Chennai. The indigenous Risat-1, with a life span of five years, would be used for disaster prediction and agriculture forestry and the high resolution pictures and microwave imaging could also be used for defence purposes as it can look through the clouds and fog. At exactly 5.47 a.m., the rocket - Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C19 (PSLV-C19) - standing 44.5 metres tall and weighing 321 tons and with a one-way ticket, hurtled towards the skies ferrying the 1,858 kg Risat-1 after unshackling itself from launch pad No.1. With a rich orange flame at its tail and a plume of white smoke, the rocket ascended towards the blue sky amidst the resounding cheers of Isro scientists and media team assembled at the launch centre. People perched atop nearby buildings too happily clapped as PSLV-C19 went up. Space scientists at the new rocket mission control room of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) were glued to their computer screens watching the rocket escaping the ...
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Bangalore, Indian Space Research Organisation has signed a deal, believed to be valued at around Rs 100 crore, to launch an 800 kg satellite of ASTRIUM SAS, a Company under EADS, France. ISRO said in a statement a commercial launch services agreement between Antrix Corporation Limited (ANTRIX), its commercial arm, and ASTRIUM SAS, has been inked but gave no financial details of the deal. But sources in the Bangalore-headquartered space agency told PTI here the contract was worth around Rs 100 crore. "Under this agreement, an advanced Remote Sensing satellite 'SPOT-6' weighing nearly 800 kg, built by ASTRIUM SAS, will be launched on-board ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, during the second half of 2012", ISRO said. Along with 'SPOT-6' satellite, the PSLV, in its "core alone" configuration, will also carry other co-passenger payloads. This launch services deal signed between ANTRIX and ASTRIUM is a part of the long-term agreement signed between the two agencies in September 2008. In November 2010, under a commercial contract between ANTRIX and ASTRIUM, an advanced communication satellite HYLAS was successfully built by ISRO and ASTRIUM together for a European customer. ...
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Beijing, China Friday successfully launched a meteorological satellite. The satellite was launched from southwestern Xichang satellite launch centre. Capable of continuous meteorological monitoring and sending maritime and water resource data, the satellite is expected to play an important role in weather forecasting, reported Xinhua. Developed and produced by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, the orbiter will collect data for the China Meteorological Administration. ...
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MOSCOW, RUSSIA : The Russian Space Forces, which is responsible for military space operations, on Monday announced that the year's last Glonass-M navigation satellite has been launched on a Russian Soyuz rocket. The Glonass-M launch was carried out on schedule at 12:25 p.m. Moscow time from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, which is located in the country's Arkhangelsk Oblast. The satellite will join a group of 30 Glonass satellites already in orbit. Alexei Zolotukhin, a spokesperson for the Russian Space Forces, confirmed to the RIA Novosti news agency that Monday's launch was the last one of the year. Russia's Glonass satellites are designed for both military and civilian use and are considered the country's response to the United States' Global Positioning System, which is better known as GPS. Both satellite systems allow users to determine locations and positioning to within a few meters (feet). In order for the Glonass system to provide a global coverage, it needs a total of 24 operational satellites. With Monday's launch, the system will have 23 operational satellites. In 2010, three Glonass-M satellites were destroyed during a failed launch from the Baikonur space ...
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Moscow, Russia has launched a Chinese communications satellite into space from its Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan. The Proton-M rocket, carrying the AsiaSat-7, lifted off at 1910 GMT Friday, Russia's Space Agency Roscosmos said. The separation of the satellite from the rocket is expected to take place at 0423 GMT Saturday, Xinhua reported. The AsiaSat-7 is a new generation satellite designed to replace the AsiaSat 3S. It is expected to support a range of applications for the Asia-Pacific region, including television broadcast and VSAT ...
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