SRIHARIKOTA: India's presence in the global launch market has been reconfirmed with the successful launch of an Israeli satellite today, the second commercial one by the Indian Space Research Organization, according to ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair.

"People recognize our launch capabilities are on par with any other leading player in the field. PSLV, which put into orbit the Israeli satellite, especially has emerged as a very reliable and cost effective launch service provider.

The PSLV is going to be the vehicle for the proposed lunar mission Chandrayaan-1," he told reporters here. In the first commercial venture, ISRO had launched an Italian satellite, Agile, in April last. Speaking after the launch of the 300-kg satellite, "TESCAR" of the Israel Aerospace Industries by PSLV C-10, the 11th in the series of ISRO's workhorse launch vehicle, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, he said ISRO has lined up four launches this year, with the major launch of the unmanned "Chandrayaan-1" likely in April.

 "This year we have a very heavy schedule. Our moon mission, Chandrayaan-1, target is in April. We have got all the instruments on hand. We have to make up our minds...By the middle of February, we will decide the launch date," he said. Three more customer related payloads of 'Nano Satellites' belonging to the Netherlands, Canada and Italy would ride piggyback with India's Cartosat-2 in about three months. "Then we have the indigenous cryogenic stage with GSLV-GSAT, the Oceansat-2." Nair said ISRO had a target of about 80 missions in the next five years.