Space

India smashes satellite launch record

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India has set a new record for the number of satellites launched in a single mission
ISRO
A record 104 satellites were launched aboard India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)
ISRO
India has set a new record for the number of satellites launched in a single mission
ISRO

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has set a new record for the number of satellites delivered into orbit from a single rocket. On Wednesday at 9.28 am local time, the PSLV C37/Cartosat-2 Series Mission was launched from the spaceport at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh and delivered 104 satellites into orbit, beating the previous record for a single mission of 37 satellites set by Russia in 2014.

The record-breaking mission saw a 714-kg Cartosat-2 series satellite delivered to a 505-km Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at 9.45 am, followed by the release of 103 co-passenger satellites totaling 664 kg. The Cartosat-2 is an Earth observation satellite, while the 103 co-passenger satellites are nanosats, 96 of which are from the US, two from India, and one each from Israel, Kazakhstan, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates.

A record 104 satellites were launched aboard India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)
ISRO

The satellites were carried aboard an XL variant – the most powerful – of India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C37), and the mission was the 39th flight for the expendable launch system that was developed by ISRO. Although the payload of its first flight in September, 1993 failed to reach orbit, the launch vehicle has a perfect record since then.

The successful record launch follows the successful launch of 20 satellites by ISRO last year, and follows the success of the Indian space agency's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), which saw a probe enter orbit around the Red Planet in September, 2014, making India the first country to reach Mars orbit on its first attempt.

Source: ISRO

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6 comments
Mzungu_Mkubwa
Congratulations to all involved! What an accomplishment! And a record of excellence that will hopefully be carried forward for years to come!
@Hathaway45
Let's hope they and everyone else will clear up their own when it comes to it, with all the usless sats floating in space it's clogging up and in a few years if they're not gathered up and taken down to earth for all the valuables in them, the imagination boggles as to what damage these can cause.
Rocky Stefano
And India is supposed to be a developing country? Look out Nasa!
ljaques
Congrats on the score, India. Now let's all clean up our space trash so it's safe to launch anything or move birds around up there, eh? From space.com: There are about 500,000 pieces of space junk ? down to items about 0.5 inches (1.27 centimeters) wide ? in orbit. Of those, about 21,000 objects are larger than 4 inches (10.1 cm) in diameter, and are being constantly tracked by the Department of Defense's U.S. Space Surveillance Network. May 3, 2010
HasmukhDoshi
well done india. 104 satellites launched in space. it would be helpful for its people to have footpaths to walk on and build toilets in schools. i am sure it will not cost as much as satellites but imagine the pleasure it will give to its people.
Nik
India is one of the few countries that actually makes a profit on its space launches. In all other countries, their citizens subsidise their space programs. So, those who decry India for its expenditure, are misguided. Other counties could learn from India's efficiency, and frugality.