An Indian rocket launched a record 10 satellites into orbit in a single mission yesterday, underlining the nation’s emergence as a major competitor in the multibillion-dollar space market.
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket ejected all the satellites within minutes of each other after liftoff at 9:20am in clear weather from the Sriharikota space station in southern India, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said.
The PSLV first put into polar orbit the remote-sensing Indian satellite, Cartosat-2A, fitted with a high-resolution camera and advanced scientific instruments.
It also launched an 83kg Indian mini-satellite and a cluster of eight so-called nano-satellites, each weighing between 3kg and 16kg, built by research institutions from Europe, Canada and Japan.
The PSLV, the workhorse of India’s space program, blasted off on its 13th flight leaving behind a massive trail of orange and white smoke.
“The mission was perfect,” said G. Madhavan Nair, chairman of the Bangalore-based ISRO, after the launch was telecast live by public broadcaster Doordarshan.
“It is a historic moment for us because it is the first time that we have launched 10 satellites in a single mission,” he said, congratulating Indian scientists who broke into applause at the mission control center.
The flight, which Nair said had not deviated “even a dot” from its specifications, broke the previous record of eight satellites launched at one go by a Russian rocket, according to Indian newspaper reports.
The marketing arm of ISRO, Antrix Corporation, charged a fee for the launch of the miniature foreign satellites.
India, which launched its space program 45 years ago, wants to compete alongside the US, Russia, China, the Ukraine and the European Space Agency in offering commercial satellite launch services.
“By launching so many satellites at one go, India has showcased the commercial applicability of its space program,” said Ajay Lele, a space expert at the Institute of Defense Studies and Analyses in New Delhi.
“It wants to market its launch systems and also its capability in earth imagery,” Lele said. “The mission is very significant from a commercial point of view.”
India first staked its case for a share of the commercial launch market by sending an Italian spacecraft into orbit in April last year. In January, it launched an Israeli spy satellite despite Iranian protests.
India carried out the first successful launch of a domestic satellite by a home-built rocket in 1980, when it was less preoccupied with reaping commercial benefits and more with harnessing space technology to boost deficient communications and broadcasting facilities.
Cartosat-2A, the main satellite launched yesterday to an altitude of 630km above earth, also has a domestic economic dimension and can be used for intelligence gathering as well, officials say.
More advanced than a predecessor launched in January last year, it will boost India’s efforts to reinforce urban and rural infrastructure to keep pace with economic growth that averaged nearly 9 percent in the past four years.
The satellite will beam “clear and detailed images of even miniscule objects” on earth, will aid economic planners in land and water resources management, Lele said.
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