The underdog of the space game is bearing its teeth once again.

On Wednesday morning (22 June), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched a record-breaking 20 satellites up to the heavens. ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C34) successfully launched its 1,288-kilogram (2,838-pound) bundle of intentional satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, an island off the southeast coast of India.

Thirteen of the 20 satellites are customer satellites for the United States, with the remainders being owned by Canada, Germany, Indonesia, and India. The majority will be used for Earth-imaging and will be used to help plan roads, utilities, and water distribution, as well as mapping geographical and environmental change. You can check out all of the satellites’ specs there on the ISRO website.

Not only is this an exciting time for the ambitious Indian space program, it also provided some pretty spectacular viewing.

^{All images courtesy of Indian Space Research Organisation}

^{It’s blast off in Sriharikota, India}

^{Launch time}

^{The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle moving down to the second launch pad}

 ^{Moving out of the assembly building, ready for launch}

^{Final preparation of the vehicle’s trip}