India launches remote sensing satellite

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday successfully launched a satellite on board the PCSLV C-16 rocket to help map croplands and forest from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.

A follow up mission to an earlier launch, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) successfully placed a remote sensing satellite Resourcesat-2 and two other satellites into orbit Sun synchronous orbit 822 km above Earth.

The launch comes as a great relief for ISRO that has been getting jabs from all corners after back-to-back failures of two rockets, four satellites and the controversial ISRO-Devas deal. A peek by the government?s auditor also revealed that 89 percent of ISRO?s space images lay unused.

The Rs 140-crore 1206-kg Resourcesat-2 launched on Wednesday, sent to replace Resourcesat-1 launched in 2003, will help in the study and management of natural resources over the next five years.