India launches low-orbit satellite

India today successfully launched its low-earth orbit satellite with 28 other nano-satellites of other countries from a spaceport in Andhra Pradesh.

The satellite may have military applications and among the other nano-satellites from four countries, 24 are of United States, our New Delhi correspondent reports.

It was a copybook launch from a spaceport of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in Sriharikota in southern state of Andhra Pradesh this morning.

After launch, the nearly 50-metre-tall Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C-45 injected the 436 kg EMISAT satellite, which aims at electromagnetic measurement, into the orbit.

The 28 foreign nano-satellites from the US, Spain, Switzerland, Lithuania would be released into different orbits nearly two hours later, ISRO said.

After the release of all the satellites, ISRO would undertake orbital experiments, including on maritime satellite applications, making the mission a first of its kind for the space agency as the space agency will put the satellites in three separate orbits at different heights using a single flight.