The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is definitely Indian Space Research Organisation's most prized asset as it continues to spin money with its successful satellite launches.

The PSLV is known for its exemplary track record of launching 209 satellites of 28 countries till now.

On Wednesday, the government notified the Lok Sabha that the commercial and marketing arm of Isro,  Antrix Corporation Ltd (ACL) earned Rs 45 crore by the launch of 29 foreign satellites.

In February, Isro had made the world record when its PSLV C37 launched 104 satellites in one go. Out of the 104 satellites, three were from India,96 were from the US and one each from Israel, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UAE.

A country invests lots of time, money and efforts in preparing a satellite and hence, before launching the satellite, it wants to be sure that its spacecraft will reach the orbit successfully.

Since 1999, India’s PSLV has successfully launched more than 200 foreign satellites. Isro's expertise in launching nano satellites and Antrix's competitive rates are helping the country to attract foreign customers.

Apart from satellite launches, Isro's interplanetary missions are also economical as compared to that of foreign space agencies like NASA. India's Mass Orbiter Mission (MOM), which was launched in 2014, cost Isro around Rs 450cr while Nasa’s Mars orbiter MAVEN (launched in November 2013) had a total mission cost of over Rs 4,000cr.

Globally, the space industry is a 12 lakh crore industry and Antrix is expected to make huge profits in the years to come.