ISRO set to create history by launching 22 satellites in single mission
ISRO will be injecting 22 satellites into orbit using the PSLV C34 rocket in May this year
The Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) is all set to blast off PSLV C34 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota in May this year, simultaneously gearing for scripting new records in its historical timeline by launching a record number of 22 satellites in the single mission.
Apart from the Indian remote sensing satellite, Cartosat 2C, the 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 on behalf of 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 will cater to earth surveillance and magnetic field monitoring, while the German satellite BIROS will be used for remote sensing of high temperature events.
US’s KYSAT Gen2-1 of Skybox will be used 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.
It is the highest number of satellites ever to be launched by the space agency, which had launched 10 satellites into orbit using the PSLV C9 rocket in April 2008.
