CHENNAI: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has added another country to its client list for commercial satellite launches after Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C29) put in orbit six Singapore satellites on Wednesday.

Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of ISRO, has launched more than 55 foreign satellites of 20 countries including of the US, the UK, Japan, Germany, Switzerland and Korea.

A core-alone version of the PSLV (without solid strap-ons) took off from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, 100km north of Chennai, at 6pm on Wednesday. A little more than 18 minutes later, the rocket ejected the 400kg TeLEOS-1 into a 555km circular orbit. The other five satellites (two micro satellites and one nano satellite) were put in orbit within another three minutes before the fourth stage of the rocket re-started to move away from the satellites before.

Soon after the last of the satellites was put in the orbit, Isro chairman A S Kiran Kumar announced the mission a success. It was PSLV 32nd flight, and the 31st consecutively successful one. The workhorse rocket has become so reliable that the chairman said Isro would now have almost monthly launches of PSLV.

Satish Dhawan Space Centre director P Kunhikrishnan called it another remarkable achievement amidst concerns of weather conditions. “There was rainfall over the region … despite the weather conditions, the team has been able to pull off a perfect launch,” he said