PM Narendra Modi reaches Sriharikota to attend ISRO satellites' launch

Updated: Sunday, June 29, 2014, 18:54 [IST]

Chennai, June 29: In his first trip to the south after he assumed office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived on Sunday on a special aircraft enroute to Sriharikota to witness the launch of ISRO's PSLV C-23 rocket.

The Prime Minister's special aircraft landed after a delay of 40 minutes following bad weather, after which Modi was welcomed by Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Governor K Rosaiah and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in the VIP lounge, airport sources said.

Later, Modi left for the spaceport of Sriharikota, about 100 kilometres from here, where he is set to witness the launch of ISRO's PSLV C23 carrying five foreign satellites tomorrow.

PSLV C23 is scheduled to lift off at 9.52 am on Monday with 714 kg weighing French Earth Observation Satellite SPOT-7, 14 kg AISAT of Germany, NLS7.1 (CAN-X4) & NLS7.2 (CAN-X5) of Canada each weighing 15 kg and the 7 kg VELOX-1 of Singapore.

Minutes before landing in Sriharikota, PM Narendra tweeted:

Our Government is committed to give further impetus to our Space Programme http://t.co/oSfG5btDmE
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 29, 2014

Will be in Sriharikota this evening & tomorrow morning for launch of PSLV-C23. Will meet scientists during my visit. Looking forward.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 29, 2014

"PM Narendra Modi makes a brief stop over in Chennai en route to Sriharikota, has a courtesy meeting with Jayalalithaa:

PM Narendra Modi makes a brief stop over in Chennai en route to Sriharikota, has a courtesy meeting with Jayalalithaa: PMO
— ANI (@ANI_news) June 29, 2014