Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will launch six Singapore satellites this evening from its spaceport at Sriharikotta in Andhra Pradesh, some 90 kilometre north of Chennai. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C29 with the payloads on-board is set to take off at 6 pm today and insert them into near-earth orbits from about 20 minutes after the ignition. <br/><br/>The 59 hour countdown that began on Monday morning for the launch is going on systematically as planned. The main payload in today's commercial launch is the remote sensing satellite TeLEOS-One, and the other five co-passengers are smaller experimental satellites developed by two educational institutions of Singapore. <br/><br/>Singapore takes a significant leap into space with today's launch that is set to place the 400 kilogram TeLEOS-One remote sensing satellite into a circular orbit at 550-kilometer altitude above the equatorial region using the highly reliable launch vehicle PSLV-C29 of Indian space agency ISRO. <br/><br/>Singapore has launched two payloads earlier using the PSLV, though they were smaller ones with limited operational life. This is ISRO's sixth exclusive commercial launch. PSLV's last 31 flights have been flawlessly successful missions with textbook precision, and the scientists are gearing up for its 32nd flight this evening.

Singapore will be launching six satellites in India today to help in areas like urban planning and disaster management across Southeast Asia. The launch, of the rocket carrying the six satellites, will take about 20 minutes. To achieve a speed of seven kilometres per second, it will have to be loaded with tonnes of energy. This also helps the rocket fight gravity. Shortly after the launch, the rocket will throw out extra weight, such as solid fuel casings. <br/><br/>These casings can weigh seven tonnes. When it reaches 550 kilometres from the earth's surface, it will launch the satellites, one after another, 30 seconds apart, to avoid collision. That would set a distance of about 20 kilometres between them. The satellites are made by the National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University, as well as commercial company ST Electronics. For the first time, the satellites will orbit around the equator, gathering data that will benefit those in the equatorial region. They will also produce more frequent images.