India's space agency launches 8 satellites into 2 orbits

In a major milestone, the Indian Space Organisation (ISRO) today successfully launched a total of eight satellites into two orbits. This is the first time ISRO has launched payload satellites in two orbits, a rare feat for any space agency.

The Indian space agency launched the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C35 at 9:12 am today from the Sriharikota space centre in southern India. The launch was spread over 135 minutes, the longest by ISRO. It faced several other unprecedented challenges as well, including bringing together the entire mission in 25 days, its fastest. Because the satellites had to be injected into two different orbits, the PSLV-C35 had to be re-ignited after the first placement. Read more...