ISRO to launch 329-foreign satellites post the successful launch of PSLV-C49

A senior official of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said that the rocket with 10 satellites took off at 3.02 p.m. on November 7 from the Sriharikota rocket port.

The rocket's primary payload is India's radar imaging satellite EOS-01, formerly RISAT-2BR2 with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) that can shoot pictures in all weather conditions.

The satellite can take pictures day and night and will be useful for surveillance, as well as civilian activities.

The nine foreign satellites are from: Lithuania (1-technology demonstrator), Luxembourg (4 maritime application satellites by Kleos Space) and the US (4-Lemur multi mission remote sensing satellites).

The Saturday's rocket launch is the first space mission for ISRO in 2020 from India.

It all started in 1999, when India for the first time launched foreign satellites -- South Korea's Kitsat-3 weighing 107 kg and Germany's 45 kg DLR-Tubsat -- as a piggyback luggage on the country's own 1,050 kg Oceansat with the PSLV-C2 rocket.

Since then, over the next two decades, India has launched 319 foreign satellites

The ISRO also created a world record of launching largest number of satellites

According to the Indian government, ISRO has earned Rs 1,245.17 crore during the last five years launching satellites from 26 countries.

During the fiscal 2018-19, the launch income was Rs 324.19 crore up from Rs 232.56 crore earned in 2017-18.

Contracts with 10 countries were signed in the last five years under commercial arrangements, Union Minister of State in the Department of Space and Department of Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh told Rajya Sabha in December 2019.

Since then, India has come a long way with 319 foreign satellite launches - mostly as piggyback on the country's own satellites. The last two decades has been glorious for the ISRO as it created a world record by launching 104 satellites in a single PSLV rocket on February 15, 2017.

India has launched 319 foreign satellites, including one Chinese satellite -- some on a standalone basis and mostly as a piggyback on India's own satellite. As per the government Data, ISRO has earned over Rs 1,200 crore from foreign satellite launches in the last five years.