India challenging Musk, Bezos with record satellite launch

New Delhi

INDIA'S space agency will launch a record 22 satellites on a single rocket as it tries to ease a global backlog and demonstrate the ability to compete with commercial spaceflight companies run by billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.

Satellites from the US, India, Canada and Germany will enter orbit after a scheduled June 20 liftoff from the Sriharikota barrier island along the south-east coast, the agency's chairman, AS Kiran Kumar, said. Most of the machines will observe and measure the Earth's atmosphere, with another from an Indian university helping to provide service for amateur radio operators.