Countdown begins for ISRO's milestone mission

Chennai, Sep 26 (IANS) The 50-hour countdown for the launch on September 28 of an Indian rocket carrying seven satellites, including the ASTROSAT - the country's first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory that will help in understanding the universe - began on Saturday, the Indian space agency said. India will cross the half-century milestone on Monday once it successfully injects the six foreign satellites into their intended orbit. India has so far launched 45 foreign satellites for a fee. According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Saturday countdown for the launch of the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) began as scheduled at 8.00 a.m. The rocket with seven satellites will blast off on Monday at 10.00 a.m. from the first launch pad of the rocket port at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. In 2008, ISRO had launched 10 satellites in one go including India's Cartosate-2A satellite. Now, ISRO will be launching seven satellites for the third time in its history. On Thursday ISRO's Mission Readiness Review (MRR) committee and Launch Authorisation Board (LAB) cleared the 50-hour countdown. The 44.4 metre tall 320 tonne PSLV-XL version is a four-stage rocket with six strap-on motors for additional thrust during the initial phase of the flight.