ISRO plans manned mission by 2015

BANGALORE, INDIA: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch its advanced remote sensing satellite Cartosat-2A this month-end.

The date is tentatively fixed for April 28 and the exact schedule will be finalized within a fortnight, ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair said.

Cartosat-2A will have high-resolution stereo cameras and scientific instruments.

"Cartosat-2A will have a panchromatic camera designed to provide imagery with one metre spatial resolution and a swathe of 9.6km to spot objects measuring the same size,” Nair said.

The ISRO has also finalized a project report to undertake a manned mission by 2014-15, he said, adding, the space commission headed by prime minister Manmohan Singh will take a decision on this project in April.