New Delhi: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up for the launch of the communication satellite, INSAT-3E, and the remote sensing satellite, Resourcesat, even as a project team has been constituted to work for the moon mission, officials said.

INSAT-3E is to be launched on September 27, while the Resourcesat would be launched after about three weeks, V Sundararamaian, scientific secretary at ISRO, told reporters.

Resourcesat would have better resolution in comparison to previous remote sensing satellites and would be able to take colour images that would have detailed features. Its main use would be in providing information important for agriculture, he said.

Sundararamaian said that the Cabinet had approved the moon mission and ISRO had constituted a project team in this direction.

The Rs 386 crore-mission was likely to be launched in five years. The mission would require a launch vehicle, a spacecraft and payloads. There was no difficulty in the launch vehicle and the spacecraft areas but work was needed on the development of payload. It would take about three to four years.

The payload would circle the moon for about two years and take images of moon's surface. India's moon mission was important as for about last 20 years there had been no exploration on moon, he said, adding the mission may involve some other countries.

PTI