The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 15 February 2017 at 9:30 am successfully launched a record 104 satellites into space on a single rocket from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. With the successful launch, India did something no country has done before.
Its launch of 104 satellites from a single rocket was a world record most satellites launched at the same time from a single rocket. The country that comes second to us in this aspect is Russia, who is far behind with a maximum of 37 satellite launches from a single rocket.
Last year, ISRO had set a national record for itself when it had launched 20 satellites in one go. It is using the same rocket this time — the X
L version of the popular Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), to push the boundaries of efficiency and effectiveness in space launches. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an enthusiastic supporter of India’s space programme was congratulated the ISRO for the achievement of such a feat.
This launch will go in history as one of the most successful space programmes in the history of the free world.
Important facts About PSLV C37:
- Of the 104 statelites that go into space, the PSLV-C37 rocket also carries a Cartosat-2 satellite which will be used to produce high-resolution images of the India. This will help in security and warn us against natural disasters.
- The PSLV will also carry a main remote-sensing satellite in the Cartosat-2 series and two small spacecraft.
- The XL version of the that was used for the satellite launch is known to have a 100% success rate.
- It had earlier been used in India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) after it had debuted in 2008 in India’s first attempt to reach moon, Chandrayan-I
- Nano satellites, which belong to International customers were launched with the PSLV-XL as a part of the Antrix Corporation Ltd. 5 of these international customers include Israel, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Switzerland and United Arab Emirates.
- Meanwhile 2 Indian nano satellites weighing about 1,3
78 kg were also carried by the rocket. - With the launch, India moves past Russia in terms of the sheer number of satellites launched by a single rocket.
- Russia now stands far second with 37 satellites in one single go, which it had achieved in 2014 using a modified inter-continental ballistic missile.
- This was India’s first space mission of 2017 and the most complicated one yet, considering the sheer number of satellites it carried.
- This flock of 8
8 satellites will take Planet’s constellation to 100. They will create the most detailed imagery of the earth’s surface. - India had earlier made a national record in June 2016 after it had successfully rocketed 2o satellites at one go, including 13 from the United States of America.
- The PSLV-XL carried the Cartosat 2 for earth observation. It weighed 714 kg. Add the 103 nano satellites into the mix and the entire launch carried by the PSLV-XL had a satellite mass of about 1,378 kg.
India has received widespread recognition for the success of its space programmes such as the Chandrayan and Mission Mars. The ISRO has managed to conjure up some of the most productive missions which have also been cost-effective as compared to our western counterparts.
The launch will be a major feat in country’s space history as no exercise on this scale has been attempted before. Since September 2015, the PSLV has launched 18 small US earth imaging satellites and in a total of 79 foreign spacecraft — which earns it some revenue and an increasingly global market share.
