Single Indian Rocket Puts Multiple Satellites in Three Orbits, First for Nation

Single Indian Rocket Puts Multiple Satellites in Three Orbits, First for Nation
India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C45, carrying Electromagnetic Spectrum Measurement satellite 'EMISAT' and 28 other satellites, lifts off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India, on April 1, 2019. P. Ravikumar/Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

NEW DELHI—An Indian rocket on Monday, April 1, placed domestic and foreign satellites in three different orbits on a single flight, a first for the nation and a low-cost option that could burnish its reputation for pioneering affordable options in space.

The launch of a domestic intelligence satellite and 28 foreign ones came less than a week after India used an anti-satellite missile to take down one of its own satellites, demonstrating a capability only China, Russia and the United States had possessed previously.