The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday successfully launched and placed in orbit RISAT-2BR1 and nine customer satellites by PSLV-C48 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The flight marks the half-century of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) mission.

RISAT-2BR1 is a radar imaging earth observation satellite developed by ISRO and it is will be used in fields such as agriculture and disaster management support. Weighing about 628 kg, the satellite has a mission life of five years.

The other foreign satellites that the vehicle is carrying include six from the United States and one each from Japan, Italy and Israel. Their applications range from remote sensing to earth imaging.

After the satellites were successfully placed in orbit, K Srinivas, addressing the gathering, said, "Today, ISRO made a historical mission. I am extremely happy to tell that the PSLV-C48 has successfully injected RISAT-2BR1 and nine cutomer sattellites precisely in the orbit.

He also added that along with being the 50th, this misison marks another major as it is the 75th launch from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.