ROOM
56
Astronautics
A
feat of this type had so far not been
achieved by any space agency or
commercial company, though records for
the most satellites launched in a single
attempt have continued to tumble in recent years.
In April 2014, Cornell University’s Kickstarter
project consisting of 104 one-inch square ‘chip
sats’ (known as Sprite satellites) were carried
inside a Cubesat onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9
rocket. The role of this mission was to develop
technology that can be sent deep into space in
swarms, with each individual satellite beaming
In one sense we have just witnessed science fiction turning into reality.
That is what it felt like on the morning of Wednesday, 15 February 2017,
when I watched India’s nearly 50-year-old space programme rocketing
into spaceflight history as the country’s space agency ISRO (Indian Space
Research Organisation) successfully deployed 104 satellites in a single
mission in a span of only 30 minutes. The daring mission sent out a clear
message regarding India’s commercial intent to the rest of the world.
Srinivas Laxman
Space author &
journalist, Mumbai,
India
India confirms commercial
launch intent
ISRO
Launch of India’s
PSLV-C37 carrying a
record number of 104
satellites.
