Reuters

New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) India’s space agency launched 10 satellites on Monday. Most of these belonged to Germany and Canada and are aimed at boosting the country’s space research capabilities.

The satellites were carried into space by India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle which blasted off from a space centre off the country’s eastern coast near the southern city of Chennai.

“The launches were smooth and we saw to it that it went according to plan. They will play a significant role in boosting our space research capabilities,” a senior ISRO official said on telephone.

The Indian-made Cartosat-2A remote sensing satellite, which is fitted with a high resolution camera for recording clear images from space was the main satellite launched, an ISRO spokesman said.

High resolution images and data from the satellite will be used to manage infrastructure and natural resources in the country.

The other launches included a mini satellite to provide technological data, which India plans to share with other countries, and eight other smaller research satellites belonging to Germany and Canada under a commercial agreement.