ISRO's Launch Vehicle to Lift-Off on June 30, PM Modi to Witness

New Delhi: The 49-hour countdown for the launch of India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle or PSLV, which will carry a French Earth observation satellite along with four others from Singapore, Canada and Germany on June 30, commenced at the spaceport of Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday.

The countdown is progressing normally. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, known to be a space buff, is slated to witness the historic lift-off of the 230-ton rocket.

This will be the fourth fully commercial launch of the PSLV that is likely to establish to the world India's potential of competing in the global multi-billion dollar lucrative commercial space launch market.

The launch, originally fixed at 9.49 am, has been rescheduled for 9.52 am due to the probability of space debris movement during the launch window.

"This launcher has been made ready in a record 50 days which is a milestone and this has to be the way forward in production mode for ISRO if it has to be competitive in the launch market," ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan told NDTV.

"Actually, this is a PSLV mission to launch SPOT-7 satellite. SPOT-7 is an advanced Earth observation satellite by Airbus Defence and Space, France. So, from our angle it is absolutely a exciting and very prestigious mission," said Dr VS Hegde, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the Antrix Corporation, ISRO's commercial arm. (Also Read: Devas Case has not Affected ISRO's Commercial Activity: Antrix Chief to NDTV)

On his first visit to an Indian science facility, Prime Minister Modi will also be shown many novel Indian developments. ISRO will showcase the latest monster rocket - the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III, the massive 630-ton rocket capable of ferrying astronauts into space. Additionally, the crew module, capable of carrying 2-3 Indian astronauts, could also be displayed. The module is likely to be launched into space later this year on its first test flight, but minus human beings.