Sriharikota, Sep 15: The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) will launch the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C42 (PSLV-C42) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Sunday. The liftoff is scheduled for Sunday at 10.07 PM, ISRO said in a release. The PSLV will carry two foreign satellites, NovaSAR & S1-4, into space. The 33-hour countdown for the launch of two earth observation satellites onboard PSLV began at 1.08 PM on Saturday.

It must be noted that this would be ISRO's third launch this year and will be the 44th flight of the PSLV. In January, PSLV-C40 launched India’s weather observation satellite Cartosat 2 Series and PSLV-C41 launched IRNSS – 1I navigation satellite in April.

ISRO's trusted workhorse PSLV would carry the satellites, NovaSAR and S1-4. Both the satellite together weigh over 800 kilograms. The mission is a commercial arrangement between the company and Antrix Corporation Limited, which is the commercial wing of ISRO.

The ISRO in its statement added that the foreign satellites, meant for forest mapping and flood and disaster monitoring, among other uses, would be released into sun-synchronous orbit at a height of 583 km. Reports informed that they have been developed by Surrey Satellite Technologies Limited, United Kingdom.

In August, ISRO and its commercial wing Antrix had said they are willing to outsource manufacturing of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) so that the space agency could focus on the proposed human space programme.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 15, 2018 07:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).