From Sriharikota’s launch pads to orbiting skies, India’s space agency ISRO has quietly become the go-to commercial launcher for dozens of countries. In the past decade, Indian rockets have placed nearly 390 foreign satellites into orbit. The United States is by far the biggest client: 232 US-built satellites have hitched rides with India since 2014, but others are close behind.

For example, Britain has sent roughly 83 satellites via ISRO, Singapore about 19, with Canada and South Korea also among the customers (8 and 5 satellites respectively). Space-industry analysts note that ISRO “has become a symbol of reliability and innovation, with rockets praised for precision, efficiency and affordability". This reputation for dependable, cost-effective launches helps explain why a dozen nations now entrust key payloads to India’s launchers.

At the heart of ISRO’s appeal is its workhorse rocket, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Decades of development have yielded an unusually high success rate — about 94 per cent over 63 missions to date — and even occasional world records.

In 2017, for instance, a single PSLV mission put 104 satellites into orbit at once, shattering the previous record and demonstrating ISRO’s scheduling precision and multi-payload management. As ISRO executives have noted, each launch showcases India’s growing expertise and boosts international confidence.

This technical reliability comes with a financial edge. ISRO’s launch prices are substantially lower than many competitor rates. One survey finds PSLV missions run on the order of $21–31 million apiece, compared with roughly $62–67 million for a SpaceX Falcon 9 and $178 million for Europe’s Ariane 5. Even for very small satellites, India is pushing the cost down.

Its new Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) is advertised at around $3.7 million per flight — a tiny fraction of Western ride-share prices. In short, ISRO offers clients a low-cost, high-reliability launch option. No........

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