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ISRO Chief Announces Megha-Tropiques, GSLV Launch Plans

By Jeffrey Hill | September 2, 2011
      [Satellite TODAY 09-02-11] The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will launch Megha-Tropiques, an advanced weather and climate satellite, onboard its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket in late September, ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan announced Sept. 1.
         The PSLV rocket will launch from ISRO’s spaceport in Sriharikota, India. The satellite will carry four scientific instruments that were jointly developed by ISRO and the French National Space Agency (CNES) to provide information on rain above the oceans and water vapor content in the atmosphere. Besides Megha-Tropique, the PSLV also will carry three European nano-satellites for monitoring green house gases.
         “Preparations for Megha-Tropiques’ launch are currently ongoing on,” Radhakrishnan said during a press conference. “Megha-Tropiques is similar to the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite. ISRO and CNES have been pursuing co-operative programs since 1993, under which joint satellite missions like Megha-Tropiques were initiated.” 
         Radhakrishnan added that ISRO’s new Geo-synchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV), which is being designed to include cryogenic engines, would be launched during the second quarter of 2012.