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India's Mars mission satellite mated with rocket, launch date revised
[TIMESOFINDIA.INDIATIMES] The Indian Space Research Organization completed integration of its Mars mission satellite on Sunday with the rocket while the heat shield is expected to be closed in couple of days, an official said.

"The 1,340 kg satellite was mated with the rocket today (Sunday). The heat shield will be closed in two or three days after tests. Everything is progressing normally on the rocket and the satellite side," an Isro official, who did not want to be identified, told IANS.

On Saturday Isro chairman K Radhakrishnan told IANS that the Rs 450 crore Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) will be delayed by a week as out of of the two ships -- Nalanda and Yamuna -- carrying rocket tracking systems, only the latter has reached Fiji.
Posted by: Fred 2013-10-21
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=378046