In an incredible feat, India launched a record 104 satellites in one single mission. With this, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) comfortably breaks the previous record of Russia for launching 37 satellites in 2014.
According to BBC, the launch was initiated from the Sriharikota space center in South India. Through this massive launch, India emerges as one of the superpowers in space research not only in Asia but the world as well.
Three of the satellites launched by ISRO are of Indian origin while 96 of them are from the USA and remaining from countries like Israel, Kazakhstan, United Arab Emirates, along with European countries like Switzerland and Netherlands. The satellites from the USA belong to a manufacturer named Planet.
Most of these satellites launched by ISRO are capable of taking images of earth. A cartographic missile of Indian origin is also launched, which is believed to be capable of taking high-resolution images. Reportedly, it will be used to monitor India's Asian rivals Pakistan and China.
According to CNN, this launch by ISRO even supersedes India's successful Mars Orbiter Mission in 2014. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a series of tweets, congratulated the scientists for this incredible feat. As per Uday Bhaskar, director at the Society for Policy Studies based in Delhi, this launch is a clear message to the world that India is more than capable of putting a satellite in space at 60-70 percent lesser cost than any other country.
Other Asian nations like Japan and China are also gearing up for the space race after this achievement by India. China is on the verge of testing its Tianzhou-1 cargo and resupply spacecraft, which it will implement for its space station by 2022. China is also supposed to send a probe to the moon to collect the soil sample. China claims that by the end of this decade it will send a rover to Mars. Japan also, by the end of 2018, plans to send an unmanned rover to the moon
With the space race in Asia heating up, India plans to launch its second lunar mission by the first half of 2018. The vessel, called Chandrayaan 2, will send a wheeled rover on the moon to collect soil and rock samples. Reportedly India is also preparing for its first mission to Sun and Venus, and a follow-up mission to Mars.
