ISRO to launch three satellites on April 20

"Preparations for the launch of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C16) carrying Resourcesat-2 satellite are progressing well at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. In this mission, PSLV-C16 will launch Resourcesat-2, Youthsat and X-Sat satellites," the space agency said.

Built by ISRO, Resourcesat-2 is an advanced remote sensing satellite weighing 1206 kg for facilitating the study and management of natural resources, it said.

The PSLV-C16 will also carry a 92 kg Youthsat, a joint Indo-Russian nanosatellite for stellar and atmospheric studies, and a 105 kg microsatellite X-sat for imaging applications, built by the Singapore-based Nanyang Technological University.

"The Launch Authorisation Board scheduled to meet on April 16, 2011 will review the readiness of the launch vehicle, satellites and ground stations and authorise the launch of PSLV-C16/Resourcesat-2 mission," ISRO said.

The countdown is expected to begin in the early hours of April 18 and the launch of PSLV-C16 is tentatively scheduled on April 20, at 10:12 am.

The PSLV-C16 mission will be ISRO's first launch after the failure of its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) on December 25 after 10 connectors snapped within a minute of the rocket taking off from the Sriharikota spaceport. It was carrying an advanced communication satellite.