ISRO Launches 3 Small Satellites From Satish Dhawan Space Centre

ISRO launched its second innovative rocket of its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), SSLV-D2 from Sriharikota on 10th February, 2023 at 09:18 am IST.

From the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) efficiently and effectively launched three miniature satellites using its SSLV-D2 launch vehicle. 

The EOS-07, Janus-1, and AzaadiSAT-2 satellites were on board the launch vehicle, which was designed to place them into a 450 km circular orbit.

Its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), SSLV-D2, conducted this second development mission on February 10, 2023, at 09:18 IST.

SSLV offers “launch-on-demand” services for satellites weighing up to 500 kg into low Earth orbit. 

According to an ISRO release, “It offers minimum launch infrastructure requirements, low turnaround times, flexibility in hosting several satellites, and cheap cost access to Space.”

The EOS-07, Janus-1, and AzaadiSAT-2 satellites were to be launched into a 450 km circular lower orbit during the 15-minute SSLV-D2 operation. It is set up with a velocity terminal module and three solid propulsion stages. 

It is a 2 m in diameter, 34 m high, 120 t lift-off mass vehicle, according to ISRO. ISRO produced the EOS-07 satellite, which weights 156.3 kg.

“New experiments include the Spectrum Monitoring Payload and mm-Wave Humidity Sounder. The USA’s ANTARIS is the owner of the 10.2 kilogramme satellite Janus-1. 

About 750 female students from all over India worked together to create the 8.7 kg satellite AzaadiSAT-2 under the direction of Space Kidz India in Chennai”, it said.

EOS-07 will be expelled by the SSLV rocket around 13 minutes into its flight, followed shortly after by the other two spacecraft, Janus-1 and AzaadiSAT-2, all at a height of 450 kilometers, according to ISRO.

With the addition of the new rocket, ISRO will now offer three rockets: the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and its variants (costing approximately Rs 200 crore), the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-MkII, costing approximately Rs 272 crore, and the LVM3 rocket, costing approximately Rs 434 crore), and the SSLV rocket (costing approximately Rs 56 crore each for development, with potential for future cost reductions).

AZAADISAT and EOS-01 were lost during SSLV-D1, the SSLV’s inaugural mission, which took place on August 7, 2022. This was due to the rocket’s placement of the satellites in the incorrect orbit.

ISRO claims that vibrations during the deployment of SSLV-second D1’s stage had an impact on the onboard sensors. 

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The software of the rocket was able to release the satellites, but it did so into the incorrect orbit. The satellites lost the velocity they needed to maintain a stable orbit and disappeared.