Countdown begins for PSLV lift-off with two UK satellites
Chennai, Sep 15 : The countdown for the Indian rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle's (PSLV) lift-off on Sunday began on Saturday at the rocket port in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, the Indian space agency said.
According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the countdown for the launch began at 1.08 p.m. on Saturday. The rocket will blast off at 10.08 p.m. on Sunday.
The PSLV rocket will blast off from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
Two satellites aboard the PSLV belong to Surrey Satellite Technologies Ltd (SSTL), UK, under commercial arrangement with Antrix Corp Ltd, the commercial arm of ISRO.
According to ISRO, the two earth observation satellites will be launched into a 583 km sun synchronous orbit.
The total flight duration of the 44.4s metre tall, 230.4-ton PSLV rocket will be about 17 minutes 44 seconds.
NovaSAR weighing 445 kg is a S-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite intended for forest mapping, land use and ice cover monitoring, flood and disaster monitoring.
S1-4 weighing 444 kg is a high resolution Optical Earth Observation Satellite, used for surveying resources, environment monitoring, urban management and for disaster monitoring.
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US confirms Israel's attack on Iran, says it was not involved
Washington: In response to recent developments, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed concerns regarding reported offensive operations involving Israel and Iran. Blinken emphasized that the United States has not been engaged in any offensive operations, stressing on the nation's commitment to de-escalating tensions in the region.
Speaking on behalf of the G7, Blinken reiterated the focus on de-escalation efforts, as reflected in their recent discussions and statements. He emphasized the importance of working collaboratively to reduce tensions and promote stability.
Earlier reports had indicated that the US received advance notification of a planned Israeli strike on Iran, scheduled for the coming days. However, Blinken clarified that while the US was informed of the intended strike, it did not endorse the action. This statement highlights the United States' stance of neutrality in the matter and its commitment to diplomatic solutions to mitigate tensions.
"We’re committed to Israel’s security. We’re also committed to de-escalating -- to trying to bring this tension to a close," Blinken said during a news conference at the conclusion of the group's meeting in Capri, Italy, hours after a US official told CNN that Israel had launched a military strike on Iran.
He also said the countries shared "a commitment to hold Iran to account."
Blinken said the nations condemned Iran's weekend strikes on Israel. He called those attacks "unprecedented in scope and scale; scope because it was a direct attack on Israel from Iran, scale because it involved more than 300 munitions including ballistic missiles."
