ISRO's PSLV-C35 places SCATSAT-1 into Orbit

Indian Space Research Organisation successfully put into orbit its own weather satellite SCATSAT-1 this morning at 9.12am.  In the second phase of its mission, the rocket launched seven other satellites - five foreign and two Indian - between 11.25 to 11.28 am, in a different orbit.  This was the first mission of PSLV in which it launched its payloads into two different orbits. 

The co-passenger satellites were from the US, Canada and Algeria besides from Indian Universities. ISRO's SCATSAT-1 can generate accurate data on wind patterns over the ocean surface.  It is a continuity mission for the Oceansat-2, which has exhausted its operational life. The expected lifespan of SCATSAT-1 is expected to be five years.