Sriharikota: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) today launched the second version of its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D2) from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. This launching took place at 9:18 am this morning. ISRO said that its new rocket SSLV-D2 during its 15-minute flight carried 3 satellites – ISRO’s EOS-07, US-based firm Antaris’s Janus-1, and Chennai-based space startup SpaceKidz’s AzaadiSAT-2 to a distance of 450 km. Successfully placed in a circular orbit.
According to ISRO, SSLV caters to the launch of satellites up to 500 kg into low earth orbits on a ‘launch-on-demand’ basis. The rocket SSLV-D2 provides access to space at a very low cost, a short turn-around time, and is capable of launching multiple satellites into orbit simultaneously. This rocket of this demands minimum launch infrastructure. SSLV is a 34-meter long, 2-meter diameter launch vehicle with a lift-off mass of 120 tonnes. The rocket is configured with 3 solid propulsion stages and 1 velocity terminal module.
The first test flight of SSLV partially failed on August 9 last year, when the upper stage of the launch vehicle due to a reduction in velocity pushed the satellite into a highly elliptical unstable orbit. According to ISRO, the investigation into the failure of this test also revealed that the equipment bay deck vibrated for a short period during the separation of the second stage of the rocket. Vibration affected the Inertial Navigation System (INS) of the rocket. The sensor of the Fault Detection and Isolation (FDI) software was also affected.
SSLV will now be launched from the launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Center located in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. After some time, a Small Satellite Launch Complex (SSLC) will be built at SDSC, Sri Harikota for launching this rocket. A new spaceport is also being built in Kulasekharapatnam, Tamil Nadu. When it is ready, SSLV will be launched from there. According to ISRO, the cost of launching one unit of SSLV will be Rs 30 crore, while the cost of launching one unit of PSLV is Rs 130 to 200 crore. That is, as much as 1 PSLV rocket used to go, 4 SSLVs will be launched at the same cost. However, only lightweight satellites can be sent into space.
