ISRO begins countdown for Monday launch of eight satellites

Decks have been cleared for the September 26 morning launch of India's weather satellite SCATSAT-1 and seven other satellites - five foreign and two domestic - with its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket, said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).According to ISRO, the Mission Readiness Review (MRR) committee and Launch Authorisation Board (LAB) have cleared the 48 and-half-hour countdown of PSLV/SCATSAT-1 Mission to start on September 24. The countdown would start at 8.42 a.m. on Saturday while the rocket would blast off from the launch pad with eight satellites on September 26 at 9.12 a.m.The monday launch will put satellites in two different orbits. Pratham, a satellite made by IIT B students, is one of the passengers on board for the rocket launch. The satellite has been in the making since 2008. Launching multiple satellites is nothing new for ISRO, but the challenge is in launching the satellites in different orbits. This is one of the busiest months for ISRO.ISRO has bagged contracts for launching 68 foreign satellites. These include small nano-satellites, with a flock of 12 from PlanetIQ, as well as full size satellites. Last month, ISRO had sucessfully test tested a scramjet engine, which is more efficient in fuel consumption. The technology will take years to realise its full potential though.With inputs from IANS