India Set To Launch Seven Satellites
BBC NEWS, INDIA
February 25, 2013: India is set to put into orbit seven satellites in a single mission, the country's space agency says. They include a satellite built in collaboration with France, which will study the world's oceans. It will carry two climate tools developed for analyzing ocean current and sea surface heights by the French space agency CNES, reports say. The satellites will be launched from Sriharikota in southern Andhra Pradesh state later on Monday.
The six other satellites include two each from Canada and Austria and one each from Denmark and Britain.
This is the 23rd mission for India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) - a seven-storey-high, 230-ton rocket.
A rehearsal launch from Sriharikota Island has been "completed satisfactorily".
India plans up to 10 space missions this year and announced plans for an unmanned voyage to Mars.
In 2008 India successfully launched 10 satellites in a single mission, boosting its capabilities in space.
The PSLV rocket has so far successfully launched over 50 satellites in space.
Correspondents say India is emerging as a major player in the multi-billion dollar space market.