Isro on Monday announced it would launch two more vehicles this year and said preparation for the unmanned moon mission in 2013 was in full swing with the setting up of one more launch pad.
"In the next three months, we will launch GSLV-F06, which will carry GSAT-5, a communication satellite and PSLV-C16, that will carry 'Resourcesat2' a remote sensing satellite," the Isro Chairman, Mr K. Radhakrishnan, told reporters soon after the successful launch of remote sensing satellite Cartosat-2B.
The launch campaign for GSLV-F06 would start in two days, he said, adding "we expect the launch to take place somewhere during end of September or first week of October".
He said GSAT-5 is a fully communication satellite, which would have C-band and external C-band transponders, useful for television broadcasting and business communication.
"This satellite will also replace some of the ageing vehicles that are currently in orbit," he said.
On the PSLV mission, he said PSLV-C16 would carry an advance sensor satellite to provide multi-spectral data at different resolutions.
ISRO Satellite System Director, Dr T.K. Alex said, "This satellite can be used in many applications, including agriculture, forestry, water resources and coastal zones. It can also provide 70 km and 6 meter resolution data," he added.
On the proposed unmanned moon mission, Radhakrishnan said Isro has planned to launch the first test mission with an unmanned capsule on PSLV, which will be put into orbit and will be recovered soon after the mission.