Vice-President to witness launch of PSLV C-14

Sriharikota, Sept 21 :

 Vice-President Hamid Ansari will visit Sriharikota in Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore district on September 22 and 23 to witness the launch of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-14/Ocean Sat-2 Mission from the launch complex of Satish Dawan Space Centre (SDSC) on September 23.

According to official sources, Mr Ansari will leave Delhi at 2 pm on September 22 and arrive at Sriharikota by 5.30 pm. The Vice-President will watch a power point presentation on the features of the new satellite and will stay back for the night in Kalpana Guest House in SDSC. The next day, Mr Ansari will witness the launch of the PSLV C-14 from 10.30 am to 12.45 hrs. At 4 pm he will leave Sriharikota to Delhi.

Superintendent of Police B Malla Reddy visited SDSC on Sunday reviewed security arrangements with the security personnel and the scientists of the space centre for the Vice-President’s visit. The district police are deploying heavy forces to Sriharikota for the two-day VVIP’s visit.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) sources told TNN on Monday that the launch would take place at around 1153 hrs on September 23. ''The satellites are mated with the launch vehicle and the pre-launch activities are proceeding normally and smoothly without any hitch,'' the sources said.

''All arrangements are on for the launch,'' the sources added. Apart from Oceansat-2, the other micro satellites included four Cubesats and two Rubinsats. ISRO Scientists, putting behind the Chandrayaan-1 debacle, whose mission was cut short in ten months, were gearing up for the launch of the core alone PSLV-C14, which would carry India's 960 kg ocean monitoring satellite Oceansat-2 and six nano satellites from abroad.