ISRO postpones Cartosat-2 launch

The launch has been postponed by ISRO due to problems faced during the testing phase.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has put off this month's launch of Cartosat-2, the advanced remote sensing satellite, to January due to problems faced during the testing phase.

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"There has been a delay in testing," an ISRO official said in Bangalore. "We have solved most of the problem".

"We have suspended the launch. We don't want to launch it at the middle of the monsoon. Launching will be a little risky during highly disturbed weather and cyclonic conditions. If at all we wanted to launch it this month, it should have been before October 22," the official said.

Carrying on board a single panchromatic camera capable of providing scene-specific spot imageries for cartographic and a host of other applications, the 650 kg spacecraft was slated to be launched this month by a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.

The panchromatic camera has been designed to provide better than one metre spatial resolution imageries with a swath of around 10 kms, ISRO sources said.

The satellite will have high agility with the capability of steering along and across the track up to plus 45 degree, they said.