These include the country’s earth observation satellite Cartosat-2 series.

Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C37 rocket on Wednesday morning lifted off successfully with a record 104 satellites, including the country’s earth observation satellite Cartosat-2 series.

The PSLV-XL variant rocket, standing 44.4 metre tall and weighing 320 tonnes, tore into the morning skies at 9.28 a.m. with a deep throated growl breaking free of the earth’s gravitational pull.

The earth observation satellite Cartosat-2 series weighs 714 kg.

The co-passenger satellites comprise 101 nano satellites, one each from Israel, Kazakhstan, The Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and 96 from the United States, as well as two nano satellites from India. The total weight of all the satellites carried on-board is about 1,378 kg.

By the 28th minute of the rocket’s mission all the 104 satellites would be put into orbit.

Earlier, ISRO had successfully attained a record by launching 20 satellites at one go.

The highest number of satellites launched in a single mission is 37, a record that Russia had achieved in 2014. The US space agency NASA launched 29 from a single rocket, but 103 is too big a number.

Four-stage rocket

The PSLV rocket is a four-stage/engine rocket powered by solid and liquid fuel alternatively.The Cartosat satellite is the fourth one in the Cartosat-2 series of earth observation satellites. Already three are in the orbit and two more will be launched. Once all the six Cartosat-2 series satellites are launched the Cartosat-3 series would begin. IAS PRELIMS 2017 PSLV C37 & CARTOSAT2