36 satellites in orbit; GSLV creates history

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Writing a new history in the field of commercial launch, India's giant rocket GSLV Mark III took to space 36 communication satellites in one go. The satellites belong to the British Government.

With this, India has entered the high-end marketing sector in the field of international launch. Britain approached India for a satellite launch after cancelling the contract given to Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. With the launch becoming a success, India is likely to get more orders from different countries.

The GSLV took off from the Satish Dhawan Launch Centre in Sriharikota at 12.07 IST last night and completed the mission in 19.76 minutes. The three-stage GSLV used a cryogenically fueled final stage to lift the satellites 601 km above Earth.

GSLV, which was introduced in 2014, is built using India's own technology. It was previously used to launch communication satellites such as GSAT 19 and GSAT 29 and for the Chandrayaan 2 mission.