After successfully launching its reusable mini space shuttle into space, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is once again preparing for another historical milestone.
This June, the agency will dispatch as many as 22 satellites into space in just a single mission, including one cartographic series satellite. Three of the satellites are of Indian origin, while the remaining 19 satellites are commercial.
Kiran Kumar, chairman of the ISRO, spoke at an event organized by the Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) to announce the mission. Kumar said the launch is expected to occur at the end of June.
During the launch, ISRO's workhorse PSLV C34 rocket will be used and satellites will be released all at once. The commercial satellites are from Canada, the United States, Indonesia and Germany.
Immediately after that, the ISRO will launch a scatterometer and the INSAT 3DR. This will provide the vertical temperature and humidity profile from the geostationary satellite, said Kumar.
In 2008, the ISRO sent 10 satellites into orbit in a single mission, making India the first country to do so. The record was subsequently broken by other countries. In 2014, the maximum number of satellites to be launched in a single mission was set by the DNEPR rocket from Russia, releasing 37 satellites.
Meanwhile, the ISRO has been achieving many great firsts.
Last week, the organization successfully lifted off an unmanned model of its space shuttle or "swadeshi," showcasing the agency's ability to develop reusable spacecraft.
The Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) blasted off from Sriharikota in Andra Pradesh. The launch was proclaimed mission accomplished 20 minutes after liftoff.
The 1.75-ton (3,500-pound) RLV-TD flew up to 70 kilometers (43 miles) and then free-glided at an initial velocity that is five times that of sound.
The RLV-TD landed in the Bay of Bengal about 500 kilometers (311 miles) from the launch site.
The May 23 launch was an epic milestone for India as it was the first time that it flew a shuttle into space and landed it on a makeshift runway.
In the future, flight tests will include an undercarriage so that the space shuttle would potentially land at Sriharikota.
