SSLV rocket carries satellite the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)'s EOS-07 Earth observatory and two Cubesats into space. This is the first launch of an SSLV rocket after the failure in August 2022.

After a 15.5-minute launch, the 34-meter-high rocket successfully placed all three spacecraft into a circular orbit at an altitude of 450 kilometers. The three satellites can now begin preparations for orbital operations.

The three satellites, the 156 kg EOS-07, are experimental satellites whose mission objectives focus on the development and demonstration of new instruments. These instruments include the millimeter-wave humidity signal and the spectrum monitoring payload.

EOS-07 is designed to observe the Earth with the equipment for at least a year. The other two satellites in orbit are Janus-1, weighing 10.2 kg, and AzaadiSAT-2, weighing 8.7 kg.

Janus-1, built by the Indian-American company Antaris as a “smart satellite” that showcased a number of technological advances. Meanwhile, AzaadiSAT-2 was built by hundreds of female students from across India to demonstrate LoRa and amateur radio communication capabilities, measure radiation levels in space, and demonstrate expandable satellite structures.

“With the successful launch of the SSLV-D2/EOS-07 mission, ISRO now has a credible new member in its launch vehicle family,” said a commentator on the live broadcast, quoted by the Space site, Friday (October 2, 2023). ).

It was a big moment for ISRO and SSLV, which can carry payloads of up to 500 kilograms into low Earth orbit. The SSLV-D2/EOS-07 rocket mission was successfully completed, placing the EOS-07, Janus-1 and AzaadiSAT-2 satellites into their desired orbits on February 10, 2023.

(wib)