The rocket carrying 20 satellites was launched from the Sriharikota space center
The rocket carrying 20 satellites was launched from the Sriharikota space center
SRIHARIKOTA SPACE CENTER (Diya TV) — India has successfully launched 20 space satellites in a single mission, thus far the most in the history of the country’s ambitious and evolving space program — among the satellites launched are those owned by the U.S., Germany, Canada and Indonesia.
The launch took place from India’s east coast at the Sriharikota Space Center has introduced the country as an official player in the multi-billion dollar space market industry.
The world record for a single number of satellites launched during one mission belongs to Russia, who sent up 37 at one time in 2014. NASA’s record for the most in a single launch is 29. Indian scientists and government ministers watched closely as the rocket lifted off from the space center in Andhra Pradesh state.
The payload included an Indian cartographic satellite as well as those belonging to the country’s universities and international customers – 13 satellites are from the US, including one made by a Google-owned company.
The payload included devices ranging in weight from more than 700kg to as little as 1.5kg
It’s just another accolade for India’s growing space program, which has already recorded a number of other achievements, including sending probes to the Moon and Mars. The launching of multiple satellites at one time cuts costs significantly and allows the country to position itself as a key player in the lucrative international commercial space market as an effective operator.
The chairman of the state-run Indian Space Research Organization (Isro), Kiran Kumar, said that launching 20 satellites in a single mission was like “allowing birds to fly in space.”
“Each of these small objects that you are putting into space will carry out their own activity, which is independent of the other, and each of them will live a wonderful life for the finite period for which they have been designed,” he said, ahead of the launch.
