NEW DELHI (web Desk) – India on Monday successfully launched multiple satellites from one rocket into two different orbits, Indian media reported.
The 371-kg SCATSAT-1 launched within 17 minutes of takeoff aims to study oceans and help in weather forecasting, including cyclone detection. “SCATSAT-1 has been successfully injected in orbit,” the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.
According to Hindustan Times, the mission was the longest for the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV C-35) that lifted off from Sriharikota at 9:12am carrying eight satellites. The satellites included three from India, three from Algeria, and one each from Canada and the US. The remaining seven were put into orbit around two hours later.
Both satellites were made by Indian students. Pratham, a 10kg satellite project costing INR15 million, was developed by students of Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai, while the 5.25kg PISAT was made by students of Bengaluru’s PES University. Pratham will study the electron count in space, which will help improve the accuracy of the Global Positioning System in India and also predict tsunamis; while PISAT will take pictures of the earth
