For over two decades, it has impeccably accomplished the tasks allotted. This morning, with 37 consecutive successes behind it, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will lift-off from Sriharikota with 104 satellites on board, almost thrice the number that a Russian rocket, which currently holds the record, carried three years ago.

It is not that there is no other rocket in the world that can haul so many spacecraft.

AUTHOR

Gopal Raj

Gopal is a science journalist based in Thiruvananthapuram who has written extensively about the Indian space programme for over two decades and published a book, ‘Reach for the Stars: The Evolution of India’s Rocket Programme’. Follow him on Twitter @GopalRajN

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