23 June,2016 07:26 AM IST | | Agencies
The record feat was achieved in a single mission; 13 satellites belong to the US
Sriharikota: Creating a record, India yesterday successfully launched 20 satellites, including 17 foreign, and its earth observation satellite in a single mission in 26 minutes.
Onlookers watch the PSLV C-34 rocket take off from the second pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota yesterday. Pic/PTI
It is a crucial step to become a key player in the multi-billion dollar space launch market.
In a precision launch, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C34) took off in clear skies from the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, about 110 km from Chennai, at 9.26 am and placed the satellites in the designated polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO) 26 minutes later.
Launching 20 satellites in a single payload was like 'allowing birds to fly in space', a beaming ISRO Chairman Kiran Kumar said
