Mars Orbiter Mission

highest number of satellites in one go

India entered the Martian orbit

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle

MUMBAI: It promises to be an Indian space mission which will rocket instantly into global history books. If all goes well, on January 15, 2017, Isro will launch 82 foreign satellites in a daring single shot, Subbiah Arunan, the project director of(MOM), has said.Arunan, who was in Mumbai to attend the Brand India Summit 2016, said on Thursday that of the 82 satellites , 60 belong to the US, 20 are from Europe and two are UK-made.The record for launching theis currently held by Russia, which launched 37 satellites on June 19, 2014. The US had placed 29 satellites in orbit using the Orbital Sciences-built Minotaur-1 rocket on November 19, 2013. On June 22, 2016, India launched 20 satellites in one go. If the mission in January succeeds, India will once again break a global space record — for the second time in about two-and-a-half years.On September 24, 2014, in a record-breaking feat,in the very first attempt, garnering international acclaim.The rocket for Isro’s historic mission will be the advanced version of the proven four-stage(PSLV) designated PSLV-XL. All 82 satellites will be placed in a 580-km polar sun synchronous orbit in a span of 20-25 minutes after launch.Arunan told TOI that MOM was the first Indian satellite which is being analysed by international space agencies and management schools to pave the way for low-cost access to deep space. He added that the second mission to Mars — MOM-2 — is provisionally slated for launch in 2020.“We plan to use the aerobraking method to approach Mars and go close to the surface," Arunan said, pointing out that it will not be a landing mission. “We have, so far, received nearly 40 proposals for carrying out Mars-related science experiments and the response is very encouraging," he said.Arunan also said that the second lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2, will land on the moon by December 2018. “The ground tests have already started," he said.