PSLV C23 launched successfully from Sriharikota

1.    PSLV C23 launched successfully from Sriharikota

i. It was a 'grand' exclusive commercial success for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which successfully launched Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C23 with five foreign satellites into the space this morning. This has strengthened India's space mission capability to launch foreign satellites on a commercial basis.

ii. At 9.52 a.m., the ISRO’s power horse PSLV roared into the cloudy sky from the first launch pad here at Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota. The launch was delayed by three minutes to avoid space debris.

iii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was ecstatic after watching the launch (his first after taking over as PM) from the mission control room along with senior ISRO officials, including Chairman K Radhakrishnan.

Foreign satellites

The rocked carried a 714 kg French Earth Observation Satellite SPOT-7 as the main payload. This satellite was built by Airbus Defence and Space, a leading European space technology company. This satellite will be placed diametrically opposite to SPOT-6 and will form part of the existing observation constellation.

It also carried Germany's 14 kg AISAT (a sea monitoring system), NLS7.1 and NLS7.2 of Canada (each weighing 15 kg for accurate position control system) and Singrapore's 7 kg VELOX-1 (for inhouse design of image sensor).

     

2.    Malala Yousafzai wins Liberty Medal

i. A Pakistani girl Malala Yousafzai has won the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Centre in Philadelphia.

ii. “It’s an honour to be awarded the Liberty Medal,” Yousafzai, now 17, said yesterday. “I accept this award on behalf of all the children around the world who are struggling to get an education”.

iii. The medal has been awarded annually since 1989, when Polish Solidarity founder Lech Walesa received it first. Since then, recipients have included Muhammad Ali, former President Jimmy Carter, and, last year, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

iv. Yousafzai will receive the award at a ceremony at the centre on October 21.

3.    West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan resigns from his post

i. West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan today resigned from his post. Official sources confirmed his resignation. Earlier, the Governors of Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Nagaland had resigned following new government at the Centre. Sources said some other state governors may also resign in the coming days.
ii. The new government has also not renewed the tenures of Karnataka governor H.R. Bhardwaj and Tripura governor Devanand Konwar. Both were appointed during the UPA regime and their terms ended last week.