ENNORE (CHENNAI): It was a truly "historic moment" for the Indian Space Research Organisation when the Coast Guard vessel, "Sarang," with ISRO's recovered satellite on board, sailed into the Ennore harbour on Monday evening. There was excitement as the satellite, encased in a container and with water sloshing around, and an orange-coloured floatation system on top, came into view, and somebody proudly kept waving the Indian national flag. Applause rang out when a crane gingerly lifted up the SRE for the photographers to click.

On hand at the coal jetty of the Ennore Port to receive the triumphant return of the SRE were a beaming G. Madhavan Nair, ISRO Chairman; an elated Dr. B.N. Suresh, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram; M. Annamalai, Director, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota; P.S. Veeraraghavan, Director, ISRO Inertial Systems Unit, Thiruvananthapuram, and S. Velumani, Chairman and Managing Director, Ennore Port Limited.

According to Gurupdesh Singh, Commanding Officer of "Sarang," a team of 11 divers from the Coast Guard went into action soon after the helicopter located the SRE. The helicopter did a test first to ensure that there was no harmful fallout from the SRE and the divers could go safely to recover it.

The divers took underwater photographs of the satellite to see whether "it was all safe," towed it to "Sarang" and then it was hoisted by a crane to the ship's deck. "All operations were completed within two hours," said Mr. Gurupdesh Singh.

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