Decision on Mars mission launch date on Oct 19: ISRO

Bangalore, Oct 19: A decision on the date of launch of India's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) would be taken today (Saturday, Oct 19), Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation K Radhakrishnan said on Friday.

Radhakrishnan said the ship-borne communication terminals are on their way to the South Pacific Ocean and their movement is being monitored.

"So, some more information has to come. It (ship-borne communication terminals) has to be positioned in the right place to see the injection (of mars orbiter spacecract)", he told PTI here. "So, that update we will get on Saturday".

He said the Launch Authorisation Board would have another session tomorrow where the date would be finalised. "Otherwise, every thing is fine with the satellite and launch vehicle".

The two ships SCI Yamuna and SCI Nalanda -- leased from the Shipping Corporation of India to study the crucial period when the rocket ejects the spacecraft into space -- left for the South Pacific Ocean in mid-Septemember from Visakhapatnam. The launch window for the MOM mission is from Oct 28 to Nov 19.

The American NASA/JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) is also providing communications and navigation support to this mission with their deep space network facilities.

PTI