India's PSLV rocket successfully placed Airbus' Spot 7 commercial Earth observation satellite into Orbit June 30 along with four smaller satellites belonging to Germany, Canada and Singapore. Spot 7 separated from the rocket 18 minutes after launch and went into a 660-kilometer orbit; the other four satellites were deployed over the next two minutes, according to the Indian Space Research Organisation. India's new prime minister, Narendra Modi, described the nationally televised launch as a "global endorsement of India's space capability." The launch took place from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in southeastern India at 9:52 a.m. local time-three minutes later than scheduled to avoid a potential collision with space debris.
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