India Launches Remote Sensing Satellite RESOURCESAT-2A

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday successfully launched remote sensing satellite, RESOURCESAT-2A on board PSLV-C36 rocket from Sriharikota. 
The Resourcesat 2A satellite rode the PSLV's 38th flight into orbit from the Satish Dhawan Space Center on Sriharikota Island, north of the industrial city of Chennai, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported. 
The 145-foot-tall (44-meter) PSLV XL rocket lit its first stage and four strap-on boosters at 0455 GMT Wednesday and climbed through a heavy rain shower and low clouds from the so-called "First Launch Pad" at Sriharikota on 1.7 million pounds of thrust. 
The Resourcesat 2A mission will track agriculture, water resources, soil contamination, and the growth of Indian cities. It is a follow-up to the Resourcesat 1 and Resourcesat 2 spacecraft launched by India in 2003 and 2011. 
The PSLV will deliver the 2,722-pound (1,235-kilogram) Resourcesat 2A satellite to an orbit around 514 miles (827 kilometers high) at an inclination of 98.7 degrees, according to a mission overview document provided by the Indian Space Research Organization.

Source: QNA