The Indian Space Research Organization placed its latest remote sensing satellite into orbit May 5 aboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, the agency announced.

The Cartosat-1 spacecraft as well as the Hamsat microsatellite weight about 1,600 kilograms combined, the largest payload ever carried by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. This was the vehicle’s ninth mission and the first performed from the new Second Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India.

Cartosat-1, the 11^th satellite in the Indian remote sensing spacecraft series, carries two black-and-white cameras with 2.5-meter resolution and a swath width of 30 kilometers.

Hamsat will provide satellite-based amateur radio services in the South Asian region.