ISRO to launch three satellites in 1st quarter of 2011

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 17 (PTI) ISRO has plannedthree major missions, including launch of advanced remotesensing satellite Resourcesat-2, in the next three months.

"The coming three months are going to be eventful withthree major milestones to be achieved," ISRO Chairman KRadhakrishnan told an international conference here.

He said homegrown PSLV-C16 launch vehicle has beenassembled at Sriharikota spaceport and Resourcesat-2 andYouthsat, with advanced optical payloads, are being readiedfor shipment there for launch.

PSLV-C17 assembly would commence soon forGeostationary Transfer Orbit mission to launch GSAT-12, acommunication satellite, to be immediately followed by fourPSLVs and flight testing of Indian Cryogenics Stage aftertests on ground.

Another communication satellite GSAT-8 is gettingready for launch onboard European rocket Ariane-5 in April-May2011.

''Resourcesat-2'', ''Youthsat'', a participatoryscientific mission with payloads from Russia and India andX-sat, Singapore''s first indigenous satellite, will belaunched on board homegrown PSLV C-16, he said.

"We have three major missions slated to be done incoming February, March and April. Among them Resourcesat-2 ismeant to replace Resourcesat-1, launched in 2003, to providedata connectivity," Radhakrishnan said.

''Youthsat'' would carry a payload developed by studentsof Moscow university in Russia," he told the meet organised byIndian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) andOptical Society of India (OSI).

Alluding to the recent failure of GSLV, the chairmansaid, "We have several success stories and a couple offailures. We will learn from our failures."

The cause of the failure had been pinpointed andanything definite could be stated only after detailedevaluation and studies, he said.

GSLV-F06, powered by a Russian cryogenic engine,carrying GSAT-5P failed in its mission on December 25 when therocket suffered a snag seconds after the liftoff and explodedin flames before falling into the Bay of Bengal.