PSLV C23 rocket carrying five satellites lifts off from Sriharikota

June 30, 2014

New Delhi, June 30: Exactly at 9.52 am, the rocket - Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C23 (PSLV-C23) - standing around 44.4 metres tall and weighing around 230 ton tore into the bright morning skies with orange flames fiercely burning at its tail.

The rocket port is around 80 km from Chennai.

The rocket's main luggage is the 714 kg French earth observation satellite SPOT-7.

Piggybacking on the main luggage are the four small satellites viz: 14-kg AISAT of Germany; NLS7.1 (CAN-X4) and NLS7.2 (CAN-X5) from Canada each weighing 15 kg; and the 7-kg VELOX-1 of Singapore.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu, space scientists and other invitees at Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) rocket mission control room intently watched the rocket's upward flight with one way ticket.

This was the first space mission of the Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.

The five satellites were launched under commercial arrangements that Antrix Corporation - ISRO's commercial arm - has entered into with the respective foreign agencies.

ISRO officials are hoping that the agency's around 20 minute crucial space mission will turn out to be a grand success.

As per the mission plan, the rocket first spit out its heaviest and costliest luggage - SPOT-7 - around 18 minutes after the blast off.

India had launched another French satellite SPOT-6 in 2012. The latest in the SPOT family of satellites is the SPOT-7.

The ejection of SPOT-7 will be followed by AISAT (German), NLS7.1, NLS7.2 (both from Canada) and VELOX-1 (Singapore).

Starting from 1999 India has launched 35 foreign satellites till date using its PSLV rocket. The successful launch of five satellites Monday would take the tally to 40.

India began its space journey in 1975 with the launch of Aryabhatta using a Russian rocket and till date, it has completed over 100 space missions including missions to moon and mars.

Earlier:

Isro all set for launch of five foreign satellites today

Chennai, Jun 29: The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is all set to launch its commercial rocket carrying five foreign satellites with all the parameters before the launch progressing smoothly after the countdown.

Foreign satellites“The countdown for the launch of rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C23) on Monday at 9:52 am is progressing smoothly”, a senior Isro official from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at the Indian Spaceport in Sriharikota, said.

The 49-hour countdown for the rocket’s flight started on Saturday morning at SDSC, about 100 km from north Chennai.

“The propellant filling operation of Reaction Control Thrusters (RCT) of the first stage, in the four-stage core alone vehicle, was completed. Propellant filling operation of the fourth stage was also completed”, the official added.

This would be PSLV’s 27th flight when it would launch SPOT-7, a French Earth Observation Satellite into a 655km Sun Synchronous Orbit. PSLV-C23 will carry the 714 kg SPOT-7 as the main payload. Also, the 14 kg AISAT of Germany, NLS7.1 (CAN-X4) and NLS7.2 (CAN-X5) of Canada each weighing 15 kg, and the seven kg VELOX-1 of Singapore are being carried as co-passengers.

The launch was re-scheduled to 9:52 am from 9:49 am owing to the probability of space debris getting in the way of the launch vehicle.

Modi in Chennai

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to witness the rocket launch. This is the first space mission of the NDA government led by Modi.

Meanwhile, Modi landed in Chennai Airport en-route to India’s rocket port in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The special aircraft in which Modi was travelling landed after a 40 minute delay owing to bad weather.

Modi was given a warm reception by Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Governor K Rosaiah, Chief Minister J Jayalalitha, Union Ministers M Venkaiah Naidu and Pon Radhakrishnan.

Later, he left for Sriharikota in a helicopter to witness the launch of PSLV on Monday morning.

Isro Chairman K Radhakrihna gave a brief presentation on Indian Space Programme to Modi at SDSC.

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News Network
July 27,2020

New Delhi, Jul 27: India's COVID tally on Monday crossed 14 lakh mark with the highest single-day spike of 49,931 cases reported in the last 24 hours, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The total COVID-19 cases stand at 14,35,453, including 4,85,114 active cases, 9,17,568 cured/discharged/migrated, it added.

With 708 deaths in the last 24 hours, the cumulative toll reached 32,771.

India had crossed 13 lakhs COVID-19 cases on July 25.

Maharashtra has reported 3,75,799 coronavirus cases, the highest among states and Union Territories in the country.

A total of 2,13,723 cases have been reported from Tamil Nadu till now, while Delhi has recorded a total of 1,30,606 coronavirus cases.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 5,15,472 samples were tested for coronavirus on Sunday and overall 1,68,06,803 samples have been tested so far.

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Agencies
April 14,2020

Mumbai, Apr 14: Activist and scholar Anand Teltumbde was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday after he surrendered before it in connection with the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case.

Teltumbde surrendered at the NIA office at Cumbala Hill in south Mumbai following the Supreme Court's directives.

He was subsequently arrested by the NIA and shall be produced before a court here shortly, an official said.

Earlier, the scholar reached the NIA office in the afternoon along with his wife Rama Teltumbde and brother-in- law and Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar.

Anand Teltumbde is the grandson-in-law of Dalit icon Dr B R Ambedkar, whose 129th birth anniversary is being observed on Tuesday.

Civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha, a co-accused in the case, also surrendered before the NIA in Delhi. His anticipatory bail plea was also rejected by the apex court.

According to the official, Navlakha will be produced before the court in Mumbai through video conference.

The Supreme Court on March 17 this year rejected the pre-arrest bail pleas of Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha, and directed them to surrender before the investigating agency.

Teltumbde, Navlakha and nine other civil liberties activists have been booked under the stringent provisions of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for having alleged Maoist links and conspiring the overthrow the government.

The apex court while rejecting Teltumbde and Navlakha's bail pleas on March 17, directed them to surrender before the prosecuting agency withing a period of three weeks.

The duo later sought extension of the time.

On April 9, the Supreme Court extended the time by one week by way of last chance.

The activists were booked initially by Pune Police following violence that erupted at Koregaon-Bhima there.

According to police, the activists made inflammatory speeches and provocative statements at the Elgar Parishad meet held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which triggered violence the next day.

The police also said these activists were active members of banned Maoist groups.

The case was later transferred to NIA. Teltumbde and Navlakha were given interim protection by the Bombay High Court while their pre-arrest bail pleas were being heard.

After the high court rejected their applications, the duo approached the Supreme Court.

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Agencies
January 11,2020

New Delhi, Jan 11: Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday met JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) President Aishe Ghosh here at Kerala House on Saturday.

This meeting comes at the backdrop masked mob violence by miscreants who entered the university campus recently and attacked the students and professors with sticks and rods.

"I thank the Kerela government for standing by us and extending solidarity. Its fight Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) shows how standing is standing for its secular ethos. Students Union takes the inspiration from this struggle," said Students' Union President in a statement after meeting Kerala CM.

She also thanked "the youth and comrades of Kerela" and quoted Pinarayi as saying, "go on we will take this fight ahead."

More than 30 students, including Ghosh, were taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre.

The Delhi Police Crime Branch investigating the case of violence in JNU had identified and released photographs of nine suspects, including that of Aishe Ghosh.

Earlier on Monday, Kerala CM had said that the "Nazi-style attack" on the students and faculty is an appalling display of intolerance running amok.

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