New Delhi, 26 November. India today launched the Earth-observing satellite Oceansat into space from the Satish Dhawan Space Center on the barrier island of Sriharikota off the coast of the Bay of Bengal, reports PL.
The mission’s payloads, which include eight other nanosatellites, have been separated into two different sun-synchronous orbits.
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chief Sridhara Panicker Sumanath said government departments would use specific data from Oceansat, which is for oceanography and atmospheric studies.
These satellites facilitate a variety of applications including documentation of chlorophyll concentration, phytoplankton blooms, aerosols and particulate matter, as well as marine weather forecasting for hurricane forecasting.
The spacecraft’s director, K. Thenmushi, said the original payloads will provide critical data for marine safety and detect typhoons in potential areas, among other variables.
More than 7,000 spectators in the public gallery of the Satish Dhawan Space Center control room cheered as the PSLV C 54 rocket lifted off into a bright blue sky.
The India-Bhutanese satellite, jointly developed by the two countries, was also launched into space by ISRO on Saturday.
A high-ranking delegation from Bhutan, led by Bhutanese Minister of Information and Communications Lyonpo Karma Donen Wangde, specially traveled to Sriharikota to witness the launch of the spacecraft.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said this is a significant milestone in bilateral relations.
During his visit to the Kingdom of Bhutan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that New Delhi would provide the neighboring country with satellite assistance to deal with problems including natural disasters.
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