ISRO launches Small Satellite Launch Vehicle SSLV-D2

ISRO launched Small Satellite Launch Vehicle-SSLV-D2 today (10 February 2023) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota to put three satellites EOS-07, Janus-1 and AzaadiSAT-2 satellites into a 450 km circular orbit.

ISRO tweeted, “SSLV-D2/EOS-07 Mission is accomplished successfully”, through its official Twitter handle.

SSLV-D2 placed EOS-07, Janus-1, and AzaadiSAT-2 into their intended orbits.

EOS-07 is a 156.3 kg satellite that has been designed and developed by ISRO. New experiments include mm-wave humidity sounder and spectrum monitoring payload. Janus-1, a 10.2 kg satellite, belongs to ANTARIS, US. It is a technology demonstrator, smart satellite mission, based on the Antaris software platform.

Janus-1 is a 10.2 kg satellite, and the 8.7 kg AzaadiSAT-2 is a combined effort of about 750 girl students across India guided by Space Kidz India, Chennai.

This is the second developmental flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV). The maiden flight which was carried on 7 August 2022, was a partial failure. The maiden flight failed because of an orbit anomaly and some deviation in the rocket’s flight path.

An overview of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV)

The Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) is a small-lift launch vehicle developed by ISRO with a payload capacity to deliver 500 kg to low Earth orbit 500 km or 300 kg to Sun-synchronous orbit 500 km for launching small satellites, with the capability to support multiple orbital drop-offs.

The key features of SSLV include low-cost access to space, offers low turn-around time and flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites, and demand for minimal launch infrastructure.

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