INDIA'S THIRD POLAR Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has been scheduled for launch from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, this month, carrying the Indian remote-sensing satellite, IRS P3. The satellite is equipped with a German stereo-scanner, wide-field sensor and X-ray timing payload. Real-time imagery will be transmitted to one Indian and two German tracking stations. The first PSLV launch in September 1993 failed after a control error, while the second launch, in October 1994, was a success. That mission carried the IRS P2 satellite into orbit. The booster is scheduled to carry three more IRS spacecraft - the first this September, and the other two in 1997 and 1998.

Source: Flight International