ISRO launches 100th space mission

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) made history as it launched its 100th indigenous mission from Sriharikota on Sunday.

Sep 09, 2012 10:46 IST

The space agency's old warhorse, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), successfully blasted off into space at 9:53 am with two foreign satellites from the spaceport of Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

The launch, initially scheduled for 9:51 am was delayed by two minutes as scientists waited for space debris to clear out.
In its 22nd launch, the 230-tonne rocket onboard the PSLV, which is as tall as a 15-storey building, was its third fully-commercial launch. The PSLV has an enviable record with just one failure.
As part of the mission, 720-kg SPOT-6 remote sensing satellite from France (built by ASTRIUM SAS) and a 15-kg Japanese spacecraft PROITERES would be placed in orbit by ISRO's PSLV C-21.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was present at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre to witness the landmark event, congratulated the agency for the successful launch.