India on Monday successfully launched into space seven satellites, including an Indo-French satellite called SARAL, from the spaceport of Sriharikota in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, sources said.
The state-owned Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)'s home-made polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) blasted off at 6. 01 p.m. local time, carrying 410-kg SARAL, aimed at oceanographic studies, and six other small satellites from Austria, Britain, Canada and Denmark, and successfully put all of them into orbit.
The ISRO-built SARAL with payloads -- Argos and Altika -- from French space agency CNES will help enhance the understanding of the ocean state conditions.
India began its space journey in 1975 with the launch of Aryabhatta using a Russian rocket and has completed 100 missions so far.