BENGALURU: ISRO today said it would launch a record 83 satellites in one go using its workhorse PSLV-C37 toward the end of January.
“We are working for a January launch. It will be toward the end of January. “Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman A S Kiran Kumar told reporters here that they have to fix the date.”
Of the 83 satellites, 80 belong to Israel, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Switzerland and the US. They weigh about 500 kg.
The three Indian satellites are Cartosat-2 series, weighing 730 kg as primary payload, and INS-IA and INS-1B, weighing 30 kg.
Setting a record in its space programme, ISRO in June had successfully launched 20 satellites, including its earth observation Cartosat-2 series, in a single mission on board PSLV-C34 from the spaceport in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
The space agency had earlier sent 10 satellites into orbit on a single mission in 2008.
Calling 2016 a “good” year, Kumar said ISRO would launch at least five communication satellites in 2017.
“It (launches) will be more next year, we are actually looking at almost something like five communication satellites, then many more others. Some earth observation also,” he said in response to a question on the number of launches that can be expected in 2017.
“In the year we are primarily trying to do our GSLV Mark III, then Mark II… one more launch we are trying to do,” Kumar said.
He said on the sidelines of the 21st convocation of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) here that the first three months should see three launches, beyond which ISRO was targeting almost one a month.
Kumar stated that 2016 was a good year because ISRO was able to improve on what they were doing the previous year, emphasizing that the main focus now was on building capacity.
“We need more and more capacity, launch capacity. We are working toward that. Our effort is to continuously increase,” he added.
