ISRO to launch its 101st satellite on Sunday: Chairman V Narayanan

ISRO will launch its 101st satellite on May 18, its Chairman V Narayanan announced on Thursday, and asserted that the space agency's programmes were planned to ensure the safety and security of the country. "We successfully launched the one-hundredth rocket from Sriharikota in January. India's 101st satellite - the Earth Observation Satellite RISAT-18 aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C61) - will be launched on May 18," the Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation said.

The PSLV bolsters India's surveillance and disaster management capabilities. He said ISRO's missions were driven by the country's requirements in diverse fields, and it was technologically capable of delivering them.

"All our programmes are for the safety and security of our people and country. We don't compete with any other nation. Our mission is planned based on our needs," Narayanan told reporters here when asked if ISRO planned any specific launch for the Indian armed forces.

The country's journey in space began in 1979 when it launched its first rocket. "Then, the SLV3 was 98 per cent successful and our first successful launch was in 1980," he said.