The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said that it will launch a record 22 satellites in a single mission next month. “After the current reusable launch vehicle, the next experiment that we have to do, we have to worry about that. Other than that, next month we have a launch where we will be launching about 22 satellites. Also, one of a cartographic series satellite will be launched,” said Kiran Kumar ISRO chairman.Speaking at an event organised by the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI), Kumar said that of the 22 satellites, 3 are Indian and the rest are commercial. “The launch is scheduled during the end of next month,” he said. Earlier, VSSC Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Director K Sivan had said that ISRO’s workhorse, the Polar rocket PSLV C34, will be used for the launch, which will have satellites from US, Canada, Indonesia and Germany as co-passengers. ISRO had earlier sent 10 satellites into orbit in a single mission in 2008. Kumar said that “immediately after that (launch), we have a scatterometer that is going to get launched, then INSAT 3DR we call — it is to provide vertical temperature and humidity profile from geostationary satellite”. Taking a step in the development of reusable rocket that will drastically cut down the cost of access to space, ISRO on Monday had successfully flight-tested an indigenous winged Reusable Launch Vehicle, dubbed “swadeshi” space shuttle, from Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh. The 1st in a series of experimental flights for Reusable Launch Vehicle-technology development is the hypersonic flight experiment (HEX) followed by the landing experiment (LEX), return flight experiment (REX) and scramjet propulsion experiment (SPEX).
