They took off at 6.31am local time on board a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, off the coast of Andhra Pradesh in South India.

The primary satellite on board this mission, which was dedicated entirely to Singapore, was DS-SAR, a 352kg radar imaging earth observation satellite developed through a partnership between Singapore’s Defense Science and Technology Agency and ST Engineering.

Once deployed and operational, it will support satellite imagery requirements of various Singapore government agencies. The satellite, equipped with a radar payload developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, can provide all-weather, as well as day-and-night coverage, at a 1-metre resolution.

Other satellites on board this mission executed by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), Isro’s commercial arm, included those from Nanyang Technological University and National University of Singapore.

All seven satellites were successfully injected into their orbits less than 24 minutes after the lift-off that was accompanied by claps and whistles from the public viewing gallery on a cloudy monsoon morning. pll/mem/lrd