ISRO will Launch PSLV-C14 on 23rd September from Sriharikota

The T-51 hour countdown for the launch of PSLV-C14 on 23rd September from the spaceport of Sriharikota commenced at 0900 hrs on Monday. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) sources told a news agency that the launch would take place at around 1153 hrs on 23rd September. ISRO Scientists, putting behind the Chandrayaan-1 debacle, whose mission was cut short in ten months, were gearing up for the launch of the core alone PSLV-C14, which would carry India's 960 kg ocean monitoring satellite Oceansat-2 and six nano satellites from abroad.

The launch campaign has gathered momentum and various tests were being carried on. ''The satellites are mated with the launch vehicle and the pre-launch activities are proceeding normally and smoothly without any hitch,'' the sources said. Apart from Oceansat-2, the other micro satellites included four Cubesats and two Rubinsats. The Oceansat-2, to be placed in a sun-synchronous orbit 720 km above the earth, would supplement the work of its predecessor Oceansat-1 and facilitate climatic study, including sea surface temperature.