The Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D2) was successfully launched from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, during its second development mission on Friday (February 10) morning. It will place the Janus-1 and AzaadiSat2 co-passenger satellites, two earth observation satellites constructed by start-ups, and the EOS-07 earth observation satellite of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in a 450-km circular orbit around the Earth.
The smallest vehicle of the ISRO completed its mission, which was due to launch at 9.18 am, in about 15 minutes. It was the first launch of 2023 for ISRO.
What is the launch’s purpose?
With launches available on demand, the new vehicle was created to seize the growing small and micro satellite commercial market. When compared to the six months and about 600 personnel needed to construct ISRO’s workhorse PSLV, the rocket may be produced by a tiny crew in only a few days.
“Our goal is to have it ready in a week. The assembly can be completed in two days, followed by two days of testing, and the rehearsal and launch will take place over the next two days. S Somanath, chairman of ISRO, said, “This time, we already did that.
This launch attempt is the second one. What transpired last time?
Satellites are sent into orbit using a launch vehicle that first employs three solid stages, then a Velocity Trimming Module (VTM) powered by liquid fuel. After numerous delays brought on by the epidemic, the vehicle’s first development flight, which took place in August, was unable to precisely orbit the satellites.
This occurred as a result of excessive vibration that accelerometers detected during the second stage separation, leading the on-board system to “believe” that the sensors were broken. For the second flight, structural adjustments have been made to the equipment bay, as well as adjustments to stage 2’s separation mechanism and the on-board system’s logic.
The space agency declares a new vehicle operational after it successfully completes two development flights. The 2019 launch of Chandrayaan-2 by the GSLV Mk III, now known as LVM 3, was the last one to be officially deemed operational.
Describe Janus-1
The Janus-1 satellite was created by the American company Antaris and its Indian partners XDLinks and Ananth Technologies.
We’re developing a standardised satellite bus on which various payloads can be mounted like Lego pieces. Companies will be able to launch their payloads rapidly and affordably as a result. Once it’s up and running, we can take care of the operations for them or we can grant the companies access to our platform so they can manage it themselves. We manufacture in India for
Rupesh Gandupalli, the ceo of XDLinks, said
The payloads, which can be used for a variety of purposes like earth observation, signal monitoring, or ship tracking, are supported by a satellite bus, which is the fundamental component of the satellite. For satellites weighing about 100 kg, the company wants to manufacture buses of various sizes for spacecraft.
With five payloads on board, Janus-1, a six-unit cube satellite that only weighs 10.2 kg, has two payloads from Singapore and one each from Kenya, Australia, and Indonesia. According to Gandupalli, the entire satellite was developed in 10 months, which is less than half the average time it takes to produce satellites of this size.
What exactly is AzaadiSat2?
750 female students from all throughout India built the payloads. In August of last year, SSLV-D1 carried a comparable satellite from SpaceKidzIndia into orbit. The payloads are the same, including LoRa amateur radio, a sensor to detect radiation levels in orbit, and sensors to monitor the satellite’s health, including sensors for temperature, reset count, and inertial data. However, this second satellite has an additional function.
The 8-unit satellite will have a spring mechanism-based external frame that will open up once the spacecraft is in orbit. SpaceKidzIndia is an organisation that strives to increase children’s understanding of space. The satellite will grow to reach four times its current size once the frame opens up.
“A new, less expensive variety of solar panels will be housed in this exterior frame to power the satellite. One of the difficulties faced by small satellites is the need for energy, which is why we made the construction extendable. It is being tried out for the first time, according to Srimathy Kesan, the founder and CEO of SpaceKidzIndia.
“The satellite will easily fit in the launch vehicles due to its tiny size at the time of launch and larger power pack, and start-ups will spend less on launch services,” she continued.
150 of the 750 students who worked on part of the payloads will be in Sriharikota on Friday to see the launch. The kids handled the satellite’s previous failure to enter orbit well, according to Kesan.
In addition, the satellite will send the G20 logo and the NCC song into orbit in honour of the organization’s 75th anniversary; Kesan was the finest cadet from Andhra Pradesh in 1992. Devi Sri Prasad, better known by his stage as DSP, wrote the “space song” about rural Indian girl students and children who want to work in space.
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