It’s a busy time again for the officials at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The Bengaluru-based organisation is now preparing for the launch of a record 22 satellites in a single rocket, the highest ever by India.
According to ISRO Chairman Kiran Kumar, the launch is scheduled towards the end of June. The PSLV C34 rocket will be used to launch all the satellites at once, with three of the of the satellites being Indian and the rest being commercial satellites from US, Canada, Germany and Indonesia.
Next in ISRO’s busy schedule is a launch of a scatterometer – the INSAT 3DR, which provides “ vertical temperature and humidity profile from geostationary satellite”, according to Kumar.
There have been many firsts for ISRO lately – with the launch of India’s first indigenously made space shuttle the winged Reusable Launch Vehicle on 23 May.
The record for maximum number of satellites to be launched in one go was set by a Russian DNEPR rocket in 2014, launching 37 satellites. India in 2008 launched 10 satellites in one rocket, setting the world record, which was subsequently broken several times over the years.
(With agency inputs)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)