ISRO set to launch record 22 satellites in single mission

India is all set to script history by launching a record number of 22 satellites, including a number of micro and nano ones from foreign countries, in a single mission in May this year. Apart from the Indian remote sensing satellite, Cartosat 2C, which constitutes the primary payload, the the PSLV C34 rocket will carry on board four micro-satellites weighing 85 to 130 kg each and 17 nano-satellites weighing 4 to 30 kg.

  • As many as 18 satellites are being launched for foreign agencies including those from the U.S., Canada, Germany, and Indonesia.
  • Two of the nano-satellites have been developed by the Pune Engineering College and Sathyabhama University.
  • The micro-satellites include the M3MSAT of Comdev, Canada, to be used for collection and study of automatic identification system signals from low earth orbit.
  • The Indonesian satellite LAPAN A3 for earth surveillance and magnetic field monitoring.
  • The German satellite BIROS to be used for remote sensing of high temperature events and SKYSAT Gen2-1 of Skybox, U.S., for earth imaging.
  • The nano-satellite payload includes three quadpacks of four earth imaging technology demonstrator satellites each of Spaceflight, U.S., and a package of two Canadian satellites designed to measure greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
  • In April 2008, ISRO had launched 10 satellites into orbit using the PSLV C9 rocket.
Additional Info
  • The first test flight of the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) developed by ISRO is also scheduled for May.
  • Designed to drive down the cost of placing satellites in orbit, RLV is expected to enhance India’s competitive edge in the launch vehicle market.
  • The first trial involves the hypersonic flight experiment during which the RLV resembling a small winged aircraft will be launched up to an altitude of 70 km from atop a solid booster rocket and released.
  • The thermally insulated RLV will re enter the atmosphere and travel back to earth in a controlled descent, splashing down in the Bay of Bengal.

Check out our latest videos on youtube