Adding glory to the 78th Independence day celebrations, ISRO successfully launched its third development flight of SSLV- small satellite launch vehicle. Along with this, ISRO also successfully launched a 175 kilograms, Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-08) abroad the SSLV-D3. The launch took place at 9:17 a.m., from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota.
Following this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, took to X and congratulated the entire team. He posted, “A remarkable milestone! Congratulations to our scientists and industry for this feat. It is a matter of immense joy that India now has a new launch vehicle. The cost-effective SSLV will play an important role in space missions and will also encourage private industry. My best wishes to @isro, @INSPACeIND, @NSIL_India and the entire space industry.”
A remarkable milestone! Congratulations to our scientists and industry for this feat. It is a matter of immense joy that India now has a new launch vehicle. The cost-effective SSLV will play an important role in space missions and will also encourage private industry. My best… https://t.co/d3tItAD7Ij
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 16, 2024
With its successful launch, ISRO will now be transferring technology to the Indian private space industry and to the NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).
SSLV Vs PSLV-
- Even though both are used for launching satellites into the Lower Earth Orbit, they are different from one another. While the PSLV is 44 meters in height, the SSLV is 34 meters in height.
- Then SSLV is a three stage launch vehicle unlike PSLV, which is a four stage launch vehicle. The SSLV, has with all solid propulsion stages and a liquid propulsion based Velocity Trimming Module (VTM) as its terminal stage. While the PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) is used for bigger missions. The SSLV has been developed to launch small satellites. Thereby, freeing space for PSLV.
- With respect to, the payload capacity, the SSLV has been designed to carry objects ranging from 10 Kilograms to 500 kilograms to 500 Kms above Earth (Lower Earth Orbit). The PSLV on the other hand can carry about 1750 kilograms to the Sun-Synchronous orbit, at an altitude of 600 Kms.
- The biggest plus point of SSLV is that while it takes two months to prep the PSLV. The turn around time, (that is, the time taken in getting a rocket ready for launch) in case of SSLV is less. It takes only 72 hours to get SSLV ready for launch. This is a big achievement, for even, Space X’s ‘Falcon-9’ rocket, takes 21 days of turn around time.
- According to ISRO, “SSLV provides low-cost access to space on-demand basis. It offers low turn-around time, flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites, launch-on-demand feasibility, minimal launch infrastructure requirements.”
About EOS-08 & Its Advanced Payloads-
- The purpose of the Earth observation satellite EOS-08, which weighs about 175.5 kg, is to showcase innovative technologies and payload instruments compatible with microsatellite buses.
- It is carries three advanced payloads, including the SiC UV Dosimeter, the Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry payload (GNSS-R), and the Electro Optical Infrared Payload (EOIR), all of which are built on ISRO’s Microsat/IMS-1 bus.
- The EOIR payload has been designed to capture the the Mid-Wave and Long-Wave infrared bands to study Earth.
- The SiC UV Dosimeter will monitor the UV irradiance and will function as a high-dose alert sensor for gamma radiation. While the GNSS-R payload has been designed with remote sensing capabilities for soil moisture evaluation and ocean surface wind analysis.
- The EOS-08 contains many advanced technological equipments in its mainframe. Among them is the Communication, Baseband, Storage, and Positioning (CBSP) package, an integrated avionics system that combine several tasks into a single effective unit which can support up to 400 GB data storage, as reported by CNBC-TV18.
- It also features a flexible solar panel and a nanostar sensor for onboard technology demonstration.
Overall,
The SSLV is designed in such a manner that it offers a low cost, low turn-around time, flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites, demand feasibility, and minimal launch infrastructure requirements etc. Another thing special about this launch was the launch of EOS-08 satellite. Reportedly, in this launch, almost 21 new technologies are being tested.
Dr. M. Sankaran, Director of the UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), stated “It is a trailblazing satellite packed with new futuristic technologies. The small 175 kilograms, EOS-8 satellite is packed with new and novel experimental technologies that will help power ISRO’s and India’s dreams.”
