PSLV-C23

ISRO's PSLV-C23: 24-hour countdown begins, PM Modi to be present during launch

Chennai:

The 24-hour countdown for PSLV-C23 Mission has begun at Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on Sunday. The mission began at 8:52 am yesterday with a delay of 3 minutes from the proposed time due to the high chances of space debris getting in the way of the launch vehicle.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will witness the launch of PSLV-C23 rocket on June 30, Monday, as it will carry five foreign satellites into the space.

The rocket, PSLV-C23, carrying the French Earth Observation Satellite SPOT-7 and four co-passenger satellites from Canada, Germany and Singapore will be launched at a rescheduled time of 09:52 hrs (IST) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR), Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

Meanwhile, security in Sriharikota and Chennai is heightened ahead of PM's visit. According to ISRO, the PM will arrive at Sriharikota on Sunday afternoon and will stay over to witness the rocket launch the next day. He will return to Chennai by a helicopter at 11.35 am on Monday and take a special flight back to Delhi at 11.40 am.

Till date, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had launched 25 consecutive successful launches of PSLV.

It may be noted that Modi's presence signifies India's commitment to space and other related missile technologies as top priority for the country.