Microsat-R is an small Indian satellite built for the Indian military Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), likely as a target satellite for ASAT testing.

The satellite has a launch mass of 740 kg and orbits the earth at a height of 274 km. Reportedly it was built by a handful of DRDO laboratories, not by ISRO.

Kalamsat is a technology evaluation and amateur communications satellite based on the last stage of the PSLV launch vehicle.

This mission uses a modified version of the rocket's upper stage that allows it to serve as a long-term platform in orbit for experiments. A student-built payload called Kalamsat was incorporated into the upper stage for this launch.