ISRO set to launch Cartosat-3, 13 nanosatellites from US on Nov 25

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to launch its cartography satellite, Cartosat-3 and 13 nanosatellites of USA on November 25.

According to ISRO, PSLV-C47 will launch these satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 9:28 AM IST on November 25, subject to weather conditions.

This will be the 74th launch vehicle mission of ISRO from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

"PSLV-C47 is the 21st flight of PSLV in 'XL' configuration (with 6 solid strap-on motors)," ISRO said in a statement.

"Cartosat-3 satellite is a third-generation agile advanced satellite having high-resolution imaging capability.  The satellite will be placed in an orbit of 509 km at an inclination of 97.5 degree," ISRO further stated.

As part of a commercial agreement with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), Department of Space, ISRO has agreed to launch 13 commercial nanosatellites from the United States of America.  

Earlier, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on Wednesday released an image of a crater on the lunar surface clicked by the orbiter of Chandrayaan 2.

ISRO is also preparing for its next moon mission called Chandrayaan 3, according to reports.

The mission is expected to launch sometime by the end of 2020.

After a heartbreak from Chandrayaan 2, when ISRO lost contact with the Vikram lander minutes before its scheduled landing on the moon’s surface, the space agency is ready for its next mission. 

While the mission gained a lot of appreciation and was generally declared a success, it also encountered a few hitches at the very end of its journey.

ISRO is said to be looking at November 2020 as the launch deadline for the mission.

As per the reports, the Chandrayaan 3 mission is likely to be a project in collaboration with JAXA, the Japanese space agency. The partnership is aimed at sending a rover to the south pole of the moon.