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.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was