The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched a record 104 satellites into orbit using just a single rocket - surpassing Russia’s 37 satellite launch in 2014.

Many scientists gathered in the southern spaceport of Sriharikota to watch the history-making moment, and upon mission completion, burst into applause and jubilation. Exactly after the head of ISRO announced that all satellites had been ejected, the room filled with elation.

Director Kiran Kumar told scientists who had gathered at the observatory also expressed contentment, giving his “hearty congratulations to the ISRO team for this success.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated the scientists for the successful launch which broke the previously held Russian record by quite a bit.

This event possibly marks the dawn of a new era in Space engineering – specifically with regards to efficiency. The rocket’s main cargo was a 714kg earth-observation satellite, but it was also loaded with 103 smaller “Nano satellites”, adding another 664kg in aggregate – that’s quite a heavy load.

Nearly all the Nano satellites are from other countries, including Israel, Kazakhstan, The Netherlands, Switzerland, UAE and last but by no means least, the United States, which supplied 96 of the 104 satellites.

Naturally, India now holds the crown for “most satellites launched in one go”, but one should expect Russia’s aerospace to ramp up their programme in light of this rivalry!

The business of launching commercial satellites into low-orbit space for a fee is growing, as phone Internet, telecommunications companies and governments look out for more high-tech communications to accommodate their fresh needs. Being the rising underdog, India is competing with other international players to attain a greater share of the launch market, and it’s safe to say the country has been quite successful in its low-cost space programme.

One of its major missions that put it on the radar was the unmanned rocket sent to orbit Maris in 2013. The cost of such a daunting mission only cost the company $73m, as opposed to NASA’s Maven Mars mission, which came at around $671m in expenses.

Currently, ISRO is mulling over the idea of missions to Jupiter and Venus! Who knows where humanity’s space exploration will lead to next – exciting times!

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