Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D2)
- February 10, 2023
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D2)
Subject : Science and technology
Section : Space Technology
Concept :
- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the second edition of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D2) from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan space centre at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
About the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle:
- The new vehicle was developed to capture the emerging small and microsatellite commercial market.
- The SSLV (2m in diameter and 34m in length ) caters to the launch of up to 500 kg satellites to low earth orbits on a ‘launch-on-demand‘ basis.
- The launch vehicle uses three solid stages followed by a liquid-fuel-based Velocity Trimming Module (VTM) to place satellites in orbit.
- The key features of SSLV are –
- Low cost,
- With low turn-around time,
- Flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites,
- Minimal launch infrastructure requirements (assembled by a small team in a week, compared to 6 months and 600 people for ISRO’s workhorse PSLV), etc.
- It placed the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) earth observation satellite EOS-07 and two co-passenger satellites — Janus-1 and AzaadiSat2.
- Note :
- The SSLV’s first development flight (August 2022, EOS 02), failed to place the satellites in precise orbit.
- A new vehicle is declared operational by the space agency after it completes two successful development flights.
- EOS-07
- The EOS07 is a 156.3kg satellite designed, developed and realised by the ISRO.
- Its mission objective is to design and develop payload instruments compatible with micro satellite bus and technologies that are required for future operational satellites.
- It would design and develop a microsatellite accommodating new technology payloads in a quick turnaround time. New experiments include mm Wave humidity sounder and spectrum monitoring payload.
- Janus-1
- Janus-1 is a technology demonstrator satellite built by United States-based Antaris and its Indian partners XD Links and Ananth Technologies.
- It weighs only 10.2 kg and is a six-unit cube satellite with five payloads on board — two from Singapore, and one each from Kenya, Australia, and Indonesia.
- AzaadiSat2
- The payloads have been built by 750 girl students from across India.
- The payloads include: LoRa amateur radio, a sensor to measure radiation levels in space, and sensors to measure the health of the satellite such as temperature, reset count, and inertial data.