October 18, 2003	Saturday	Sha'aban 21, 1424

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SRIHARIKOTA (India), Oct 17: India on Friday successfully put a 1,360-kilogramme remote sensing satellite into space, an Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) official said.

The rocket carrying the satellite blasted off at 10:24 am (0454 GMT) into a cloudy sky on a drizzly day from this remote site, about 100 kilometres north of the southern Indian city of Madras.

After 18 minutes the satellite, named Resourcesat-1, was injected into orbit on schedule in what ISRO chairman Madhavan Nair described as a “textbook” launch.

“It was a tremendous achievement,” Nair told reporters, adding that the launch vehicle, the locally-built Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, had proved “fail-safe” as it had already sent six other satellites into orbit.

“It was a perfect textbook launch, with all the separations taking place at predetermined intervals,” he said.

Indian officials said the Resourcesat-1 launch had been planned and announced in September.

India currently has four remote sensing satellites in orbit.—AFP