Remarkable feat: Kasturirangan on launch of 104 satellites

Hyderabad: Veteran space scientist K Kasturirangan today hailed the record launch of 104 satellites on board a single rocket by ISRO, terming it as a remarkable feat and spectacular success demonstrating to the world India's capability in the field. "I admire ISRO for having did this and demonstrated to the world that we can launch more than 100 satellites in a single shot", the former Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) told PTI.

India's space agency scripted history earlier today by successfully launching these satellites, including a home-built earth observation spacecraft, from Sriharikota spaceport. Kasturirangan, also former Secretary in the Department of Space and ex-Chairman of Space Commission, wholeheartedly congratulated ISRO Chairman A S Kiran Kumar and his entire team for this spectacular success, and excellent leadership.

"It's a remarkable feat because one who knows about what separations mean, what kind of dynamics is involved in separation and then how do you make sure that 104 of those satellites move out without touching each other, even though in space terms, it's very close to each other, and therefore, there is precise operation that's involved with it.. "And these kind of things from engineering point of view and from mathematical point of view is something which we are telling the world that we are as good as anybody can think of", he said.

Today's launch is a demonstration of India's strength and ability to think to the highest level of sophistication in areas like mathematics, science and physics, Kasturirangan said. "...from the days of Bhaskara (satellite launched nearly four decades ago) to today, we have maintained that primacy", he said. "This particular launch to me is a proud demonstration of that legacy".