Ahead of the launch of its Rs 430 crore Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), India’s premier space agency ISRO will carry out a launch rehearsal at the First Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. “We will carry out a launch rehearsal tomorrow at 6.08 am. Except for pressing the ‘ignite’ button, all other procedures will be checked to see if all preparations are in place,” PSLV C-25 Mission Director P Kunhikrishnan told reporters. One of Isro's PSLV rockets One of Isro’s PSLV rockets PSLV C-25 carrying the Mars Orbiter spacecraft is slated for lift-off at 2.36 pm on 5 November. The launch rehearsal will simulate the last eight and a half hours of the 56-and-a-half-hour countdown. Satellite battery check up, the withdrawing of mobile service tower and checking various technical parameters, including electrical activities would be part of the launch rehearsal, Kunhikrishnan said. The satellite has been already integrated with the launch vehicle. Isro chief K Radhakrishnan, talking to reporters in Chennai, said the actual countdown would begin on 3 November. “We are getting ready for the launch of Mars Orbiter spacecraft onboard PSLV-C25. Tomorrow we will be doing the rehearsal of the launch countdown”, he said. “The lift-off is expected in the afternoon of 5 November,” he said responding to a query. One of the main objectives the first Indian mission to Mars is to develop the technologies required to design, plan, manage and operate an interplanetary mission. Asked about the launch of GSLV-D5 which was called off in August due to a fuel leak, Radhakrishnan said the work on GSLV assembly would proceed as planned. “The GSLV assembly is going on at the moment. By 15 December, we should have the launch”, he said.
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