Venkatachari JagannathanChennai, Jan. 10 -- In just over a quarter century, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched 434 foreign satellites.
On January 12, 2026, that number is set to rise to 442 when the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C62) carries 16 satellites into orbit, including eight foreign payloads. Among them is KID (Kestrel Initial Technology Demonstrator), developed by the Spanish space startup Orbital Paradigm.
It all started in May 1999, when PSLV-C2 successfully orbited South Korea's Kitsat-3 and Germany's DLR TUBSAT as piggyback payloads alongside India's own Oceansat.
Initially, ISRO carried only small foreign satellites as piggyback items to India's own satellites on PSLV, the country...