India’s space agency ISRO launched a record 104 satellites on a single rocket from the Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh today. India has become the first country to successfully carry so many satellites in a single mission. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C37 is the star of what has been described as an incredible step for the country’s space programme. It tore into the sky at 9.28 am, breaking free of the earth’s gravitational pull with a growl. The countdown began 28 hours ago, says ISRO or the Indian Space Research Organisation.
Quick Points to read about launching:
- In about 18 minutes, all 104 satellites were released into space, each travelling at the speed of over 27,000 km per hour – 40 times the speed of an average passenger airline.
- India’s workhorse rocket PSLV-C37 is on its 39th mission. Among the 104 satellites are many belonging to international customers.
- This is the heaviest version of the PSLV, weighing about 320 tonnes at lift-off and standing tall at 44.4 meters.
- The main passenger is the Earth-mapping Cartosat 2 series satellite, which weighs 714 kg.
- The smaller satellites belong to the US, Israel, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates will be launched. 96 of the satellites belong to the US.
- Close to 90 small satellites named ‘Doves’ belong to one San Francisco-based company, Planet Inc. The Dove constellation will be used to image the earth at low cost.
- Two ISRO-made Nano satellites belonging to international customers were also launched. They weigh about 1,378 kg. The PSLV first launched the Cartosat-2 and then its 103 co-passengers into the polar Sun Synchronous Orbit, about 520 km from the Earth.
- PM Narendra Modi congratulated the scientists for successful launch, saying “this remarkable feat has made India proud”.
- In 2014, the Russian Space Agency has launched 37 satellites in one go.
- This is ISRO’s second successful attempt after the launch of 23 satellites in a single rocket in June 2015.
Date to remember in history i.e. 15th Feb 2017, when India launches world record to launch 104 satellites in one go.
The curtain raiser video of integration of PSLV-C37. All 104 satellites over view in the following video.
Video Courtesy: ISRO MEDIA LINK
What are the 104 Satellites Lauched by ISRO?
Equipped with panchromatic and multispectral cameras, the 664kg Cartosat -2 will provide remote sensing services similar to that of its predecessors.
Images from the satellite will be used for cartographic applications, urban and rural applications, coastal land use and regulation, utility management like road network monitoring, water distribution, creation of land use maps, change detection to bring out geographical and manmade features and various other land information system (LIS) and geographical information system (GSI) applications.
INS-1A and INS-1B are versatile and modular nanosatellite bus system envisioned for future science and experimental payload.
Among the foreign satellites, 88 cube satellites belonged to San Francisco-based earth imaging startup Planet. With the launch, the company has increased its fleet to 143 satellites which will soon begin capturing images of the earth’s entire landmass, including India, every day.
Eight other satellites belonging to Spire Global, US, will provide services for vessel tracking and weather measurement.
The nano satellites from Israel, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UAE are mostly technology demonstrators.
