The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is scheduled to launch ASTROSAT, the country’s first indigenous astronomical observation satellite, on 28 September.

The satellite will be used to observe celestial objects. It has been transported to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota with the help of a specially designed satellite transportation system (STS) on 16 August by ISRO Satellite Centre.

Said to be the first mission by ISRO to be operated as a space observatory, the ASTROSAT is designed to simultaneously monitor several wavelengths, including ultra-violet (UV) and optical, low and high-energy X-ray wavebands.

ASTROSAT will be launched on-board the PSLV-C30. The vehicle will place the satellite into a 650km orbit after launching from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Shriharikota.

"Along with ASTROSAT there will be six co-passengers, one satellite each from Indonesia and Canada, and four nano-satellites from the US."

ISRO public relations director Deviprasad Karnik was quoted by PTI as saying: "Now the vehicle assembly is almost completed; along with ASTROSAT there will be six co-passengers, one satellite each from Indonesia and Canada, and four nano-satellites from the US.

"These satellites have already arrived and those preparations are going on."

The six satellites will perform maritime surveillance.

ASTROSAT will also carry five payloads, one ultra-violet imaging telescope (UVIT), one large area xenon proportional counter-LAXPC soft X-ray telescope, a cadmium zinc telluride imager, and a scanning sky monitor (SSM).

Besides ISRO, there are four other organisations involved in payload development of ASTROSAT, being the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, and the Raman Research Institute.

The satellite will also carry payloads developed by Canadian Space Agency and University of Leiscester, UK.