Tight security for Prime Minister Modi at Sriharikota

Nellore: The PSLV-C23 will carry aloft a French earth observation satellite, SPOT-7, and four mini-satellites at 9.52 am on Monday from the Sriharikota spaceport. The four mini-satellites include the 14-kg AISAT of Germany, NLS7.1 & NLS7.2 of Canada, each weighing 15 kg, and the 7-kg VELOX-1 of Singapore.

This will be the 27th flight of PSLV, 25 previous flights have been successful. As many as 42 rockets have been launched from Shar, and 33 of them have been successful. ISRO chairman Dr K. Radhakrishnan offered prayers at Changala Parameswari temple in Sullurpeta on Saturday night ahead of the rocket launch.

ISRO said the countdown was progressing smoothly and the operation to fill Nitrogen Tetraoxide Propellant fuel into the second stage of the rocket was completed at 6.30 pm. There was strict security at the spaceport, which is usually well guarded, for the Prime Minister’s visit on Monday.

As part of security arrangements bomb squads and dog teams are scanning all routes which the PM will take and checking all the vehicles heading towards Shar.

Click here for the live webcast of the launch will be available from 09:15 hours (IST)