The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch 22 satellites aboard a single rocket in May.

During the proposed mission, a PSLV C34 rocket will lift-off carrying India’s Cartosat 2C remote sensing satellite, as well as four micro-satellites weighing 85kg to 130kg each, and 17 nano satellites weighing 4kg to 30kg from the launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Srikarikota.

Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre director K Sivan said: "We are planning to launch as many as 22 satellites on-board PSLV C34.

"We are planning to launch as many as 22 satellites on-board PSLV C34."

"We had earlier sent ten satellites on a single mission.

"Now, we are planning more than double. We hope that the launch will be in May."

In 2008, the agency sent ten satellites aboard the PSLV C9 rocket.

Among the satellites to be launched in the latest mission, two of the nano satellites have been developed by India’s Pune Engineering College and Sathyabhama University, reported The Hindu.

The mission will also carry 18 satellites belonging to foreign nations, namely M3MSAT of Comdev, Canada; LAPAN A3 of Indonesia; BIROS of Germany; and SKYSAT Gen2-1 of Skybox, US.

M3MSAT will be used for collection and study of automatic identification system signals, LAPAN A3 for earth surveillance and magnetic field monitoring activities, BIROS will conduct remote sensing of high-temperature events and SKYSAT Gen2-1 will be used for earth imaging.

Of the nano satellites to be carried in the mission include three quadpacks of four earth imaging technology demonstrator satellites of Spaceflight, US, and a group of two Canadian satellites, designed to assess greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.