ISRO

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch six Singapore satellites onboard its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket from the launch pad in Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, India.

The launch is scheduled on 16 December.

In its 32nd flight, PSLV will carry six satellites, weighing 625kg and place them into low Earth orbit for remote sensing applications.

ISRO was quoted by PTI saying: "The 59 hour countdown activity of PSLV-C29/TeLEOS-1 mission has started at 7am today."

The agency’s Mission Readiness Review committee and Launch Authorisation Board cleared the countdown for the launch.

In September, PSLV successfully launched India’s Multi Wavelength Space Observatory satellite and six other foreign satellites into orbit.

"The rocket is expected to blast off from the Sriharikota rocket port at 6pm on 16 December."

An ISRO official was quoted by IANS saying: "It is a commercial launch.

"The rocket is expected to blast off from the Sriharikota rocket port at 6pm on 16 December.

"The Indian rocket will be carrying six satellites, all from Singapore."

During the scheduled launch, PSLV will lift off carrying an Earth observation satellite called TeLEOS, weighing 400kg, and two micro-satellites and three nano-satellites.

ISRO will be flying a ‘core alone’ variant of the PSLV, which will not have a strap on its boosters.

This year ISRO has launched 14 satellites, including three Indian and 11 foreign satellites from the Sriharikota launch site. PSLV launched 13 satellites and geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) launched one communication satellite, GSAT-6.

Image: ISRO preparing to launch six satellites for Singapore. Photo: courtesy of ISRO.