1. What are the capabilities of SSLV and how does it differ from other launcher vehicles?
ISRO’s Second SSLV Mission Successfully Launches a Trio of Satellites
ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) has successfully launched its three small satellites as its second SSLV mission. The mission lifted off at 17:26 IST (11.56 GMT) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India on June 7.
What is SSLV?
SSLV (Small Satellite Launch Vehicle) is an expendable launch system designed and developed by ISRO. The launch vehicle allows ISRO to launch multiple satellites with just one rocket. It is also a cost-effective and reliable way to launch satellites into space.
Background
ISRO’s SSLV is capable of launching satellites of mass up to 500 kg into low earth orbit. It is the smallest rocket in the fleet of the organization. ISRO launched the first SSLV on January 24 this year with a payload of four satellites. The second SSLV mission has already seen a successful launch and is carrying a load of only three satellites.
Payload
The payload consists of two Indian satellites, ANAND and Anant, and a single foreign satellite UNITYsat from Japan.
- ANAND: ANAND is a student-built satellite from IIT-Bhubaneswar. Its primary objective is to measure the variation in X-Ray and Gamma Ray emissions from solar flares.
- Anant: Anant is a technology demonstration satellite developed by the university students at Delhi Technological University. It has a mission lifespan of 6 months.
- UNITYsat: UNITYsat is a three-in-one satellite developed by three Japanese Universities in collaboration with ISRO. The objective of the mission is to validate system-level technologies developed in India in collaboration with Japanese universities.
Implications
This successful launch is significant as it proved the capability of ISRO’s SSLV rocket and its reliability in carrying small satellites into orbit. With this launch, the organization has once again demonstrated its ability to launch payloads in space
ISRO has always been a leader in the space industry, and this mission has reaffirmed its prowess.
The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) has had another successful mission. The mission successfully launched three satellites into orbit on March 28th 2021. This was the second successful mission of the SSLV, a two-stage solid-fuel rocket that was developed to be a low-cost, quick-launch alternative.
The mission took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India, at 5.18pm Indian Standard Time. The SSLV delivered three satellites into Earth’s orbit – one customer satellite called Anand and two micro-technology demonstration satellites called Satish Dhawan Sat (SD SAT) and Garlon-1.
The two technology demonstration satellites, developed by University of Toronto, Canada, were designed to test miniaturized technologies that can be used for basic space experiments and can be used for future micro-satellites. The Anand satellite on the other hand, is an earth observation satellite developed by Alpha Design Technologies, Bangalore.
This mission was the second SSLV mission. The first was conducted in July 2020 in which the SSLV placed India’s Risat-2BR1 into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). After today’s successful launch, the SSLV rocket has now placed four satellites in the LEO.
The SSLV is a game-changer for the Indian space programme. At around $15 million, the rocket is very cost-efficient, compared to other rockets that cost several times more. On top of that, SSLVs are ready to launch in less than a week and can also be used to send satellites into other orbits like the Geostationary Transfer Orbit, escaping the pressure of others rockets such as the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle.
Overall, the second mission of the SSLV has been completed successfully with the launch of the three satellites. This success marks the beginning of the era of low-cost, fast-launch rockets in India.