ISRO sends its 100th satellite into space onboard its PSLV

SRIHARIKOTA, India - The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched its 100th satellite on Friday, creating space history. 

India’s 100th satellite into space took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota at 9.29 am.

The satellite, along with 31 other satellites took off onboard India’s workhorse, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-40.

After the success of the satellite’s liftoff, ISRO released visuals taken by cameras on board the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which the organization said travelled at over 27,000 kilometres per hour and successfully dropped the 31 satellites sequentially in space.

ISRO said that ‘Cartosat 2’ is the heaviest of the satellites carried by the rocket, which was the first to be ejected. 

The surveillance satellite weighs 710 kilograms and is aimed at helping India monitor its borders and keep an eye on neighbours.

Indian space officials added that satellites from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Republic of Korea and Finland were onboard, as part of the commercial arrangements between ISRO and Antrix Corporation Ltd., a company under Department of Space.

India's 100th indigenously built satellite "Microsat" was put in orbit in the end, nearly 1.45 minutes into the mission.

India’s President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated ISRO on the successful launch.

The mission was ISRO's first mission this year, and also the first since the unsuccessful launch of IRNSS-1H in August 2017.

Sources have revealed that ISRO is planning to launch at least one satellite every month this year.