The countdown for the launch of the Indian Space Research Organisation’s Cartosat-2 series satellite, along with 30 co-passenger satellites, began on Thursday morning. Isro will launch the 712-kg satellite into a 505-km polar sun synchronous orbit from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, at 9.05 am on Friday.

The Cartosat-2 series satellite will be launched by Isro’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C38) for earth observation. It is a remote-sensing satellite that will provide high-resolution, scene-specific spot imagery, the space agency said.

This will be the PSLV’s 40th flight.

The 30 co-passenger satellites, weighing around 243 kg at lift-off, will include 29 nano satellites from 14 countries – Austria, Belgium, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and the United States – and one made in India. The launch of these international nano satellites is part of an agreement between Isro’s commercial arm Antrix Corporation Ltd and international customers.