The Indian Space Research Organization launched a flock of 104 satellites into space over the course of 18 minutes on Wednesday. Indian Space Research Organization, European Pressphoto Agency
India today 15/02/17: New record
Let's congrats India
India has successfully launched 104 satellites from a single rocket, setting a world record. Most of the orbiting hardware was made up of nano-satellites; the smallest weighing just over a kilogram.
Scientists at India's southern spaceport of Sriharikota applauded as the head of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that all the satellites had been deployed into orbit on Wednesday.
"My hearty congratulations to the ISRO team for this success," the agency's director Kiran Kumar said to those tracking the progress of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his congratulations on the launch and ejection of satellites, which was covered live on national television channels.
The rocket was launched at 9:28 a.m. (0358 UTC), releasing all 104 satellites into orbit about 30 minutes later.
Its main cargo was a 714 kilogram Indian satellite to be used for Earth observation, but the payload also included 103 smaller "nano satellites," the smallest of which weighed only 1.1 kilograms.
Low-cost launches
Almost all the nano satellites come from other countries, including Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates. The majority, 96 in all, came from the United States.
The launch gives India - whose space agency is famed for trimming costs - the record for launching the most satellites at once, leaping ahead of Russia which launched 39 satellites in a single mission in June 2014.
THE AMAZING THINGS SENTINEL SATELLITES SEE
From the French Riviera
It may be among the strangest places on Earth, but this is where a lot of the European Union's Sentinel satellite equipment is being built for the Copernicus Earth Observation program. In Cannes, Thales Alenia Space is responsible for the Sentinel-1 satellites and a few of the others, too. The contractors include Airbus and many more. Sentinel-1B launches this week, making the first mission whole.
Source: DW, Reuters, iliasnotes and other agencies
