ISRO launches second Small Satellite Launch Vehicle-SSLV-D2

Written by Copernical Team Friday, 10 February 2023 07:18

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Space Coast FL (SPX) Feb 10, 2023

The Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) successfully lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on the island of Sriharikota, India on Thursday at 9:18 a.m. local time (03:48 UTC), six months after its SSLV-D1 maiden flight in August 2022, which failed to reach a stable orbit. An analysis "revealed that there was a vibration disturbance for a short duration on the Equipment Bay (EB)

ISRO launches second Small Satellite Launch Vehicle-SSLV-D2
by Jennifer Briggs
Space Coast FL (SPX) Feb 10, 2023

The Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) successfully lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on the island of Sriharikota, India on Thursday at 9:18 a.m. local time (03:48 UTC), six months after its SSLV-D1 maiden flight in August 2022, which failed to reach a stable orbit.

An analysis "revealed that there was a vibration disturbance for a short duration on the Equipment Bay (EB) deck during the second stage (SS2) separation," ISRO wrote in an update. The SSLV was designed to be a launch-on-demand platform, lower the cost per launch, have the capability of integrating more payloads, low turn-around times, and to only need minimal launch infrastructure.

SSLV-D2 is carrying the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) EOS-07, Janus-1, and AzaadiSAT-2 into their designated circular low Earth-orbit at 450 km (280 mi) altitude and 37.2 degrees inclination. ISRO's Earth Observing Satellite (EOS) series weighs 344 pounds (156 kg). EOS-07's objective is to collect scientific data for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications.

A rare example of an eight-unit (8U) CubeSat with a mass of 19.7 pounds (8.7 kg) AzaadiSAT-2 satellite was on board developed by Space Kidz India, as a test payload. ISRO officials wrote AzaadiSAT-2 "aims to demonstrate LoRa and amateur radio communication capabilities, measure radiation levels in space and demonstrate expandable satellite structure, etc."

Another satellite launched with EOS-07 is a 22.5-pound (10.2 kg) 6U CubeSat, Janus-1, designed and built by the Indian-American company based in California, Antaris. It will serve as a proof-of-concept for the company's software platform.