ISRO launches 100th space mission
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) made history as it launched its 100th indigenous mission from Sriharikota on Sunday.
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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.
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The launch, initially scheduled for 9:51 am was delayed by two minutes as scientists waited for space debris to clear out.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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