ISRO to launch record 103 satellites at one go in Feb

104TH INDIAN SCIENCE CONGRESS

INDIA’S SPACE agency ISRO will launch a record 103 satellites at one go on a single rocket in the first week of February in what will be a feat not attempted by any country.

As India looks to grab a larger slice of the lucrative commercial space market, 100 of the 103 satellites set for launch by ISRO’S workhorse rocket PSLV-C37 in February from its Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh belong to foreign nations, including the US and Germany.

“We are making a century by launching over 100 satellites at one go,” S Somnath, Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre at ISRO, told a plenary session on the second day of the 104th Indian Science Congress here on Wednesday.

The space agency had earlier planned a launch of 83 satellites in the last week of January, of which 80 were foreign ones. But with the addition of 20 more foreign satellites, the launch was delayed by a week and will now take place in first week of February, Somnath said. He did not specify the number of countries that would launch its satellites in this mission, but said it includes nations such as the US and Germany.

Last year, ISRO launched 20 satellites in a single launch. The highest number of satellites launched in a single mission is 37, a record set by Russia in 2014.

On Tuesday, during the inauguration of the Science Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi advocated scientific social responsibility for leading scientific institutions on the lines of corporate social responsibility to promote scientific excellence in all stakeholders, including educational institutions.

The Prime Minister also exhorted

On Tuesday PM Modi advocated scientific social responsibility on the lines of corporate social responsibility

scientists to keep an eye on the rise of disruptive technologies and leverage them for the country’s growth, as he pledged government’s commitment to supporting different scientific streams with emphasis on innovations.

“On the lines of corporate social responsibility, the concept of scientific social responsibility needs to be inculcated to connect our leading institutions to all stakeholders, including schools and colleges. We must create an environment for sharing of ideas and resources,” he said in his inaugural address.

Noting that the brightest and best in every corner of India should have the opportunity to excelinscience,modisaidthiswill ensure that our youth get highend training exposure to the best of science and technology to make them job-ready in a competitiveworld.“iwouldexhortthe National Laboratories to connect with schools and colleges to develop appropriate training programmes.thiswillalsohelpwith theeffectiveuseandmaintenance of our vast scientific and technological infrastructure,” he said.