PSLV C20 successfully launches 7 satellites, President Pranab Mukherjee watches live

After a textbook launch witnessed by President Pranab Mukherjee here, Indian Space Research Organisation's workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) placed into orbit in one single mission all the seven spacecraft—Indo-French oceanographic study satellite 'SARAL' and six foreign mini and micro satellites.

The PSLV-C20 rocket blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in clear weather at 6.01 pm at the end of the 59-hour countdown, marking the 103rd mission of ISRO and yet another testimony to India's Space prowess. In 2008, India successfully launched 10 satellites in a single mission, boosting its capabilities in space.

The lift-off, scheduled for 5.56 pm, was delayed by five minutes to avoid probability of collision with space debris, a normal cautionary step in a launch mission, ISRO sources said.

Soaring into clear weather, the 44.4 metre tall 230-tonne rocket, in its core alone variant, injected the 409 kg Indo-French satellite SARAL first into orbit about 18 minutes after the lift-off, followed by six other foreign satellites in about four minutes as the scientists broke into cheers.

India has reaffirmed its commercial launch capabilities with today's launch of SARAL's co-passengers -- SAPPHIRE and NEOSSat (Canada), AAUSAT3 (Denmark), micro satellites BRITE and UniBRITE from Austria and STRaND from United Kingdom, with a combined weight of 259.5 kg.

Congratulating scientists for the 'remarkable launch' and 'meticulously

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