The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on Sunday successfully launched its first Small Satellite Launch Vehicle SSLV-D1. The launch took place from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
Adar02 and AzaadiSAT satellites have been sent in the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle. AzaadiSAT Satellites is a student satellite of the indigenous private space agency named SpaceKidz India. It was built by 750 girls from the country from 75 rural government schools across India.
Shreya a student from St Francis Girls High School, Telangana said, “Three groups from our school have participated in this SSLV launch. I am very glad that we got this opportunity. We really worked hard on it and today we will witness the launch of the AzaadiSAT satellite.
The rocket was working properly and brought both the satellites to their designated orbit but after some time the data from the satellites stopped. ISRO chief S. Somnath said that the control center is continuously trying to get the data link. Once the link is established, the country will be informed.
Somnath said that Eder02 is an Earth Observation Satellite. Its weight is 142 kg and will operate in space for 10 months. It has a mid and long-wavelength infrared camera, which has a resolution of 6 meters. This satellite is capable of monitoring even at night.
Taking to Twitter ISRO tweeted, “SSLV-D1/EOS-02 Mission: Maiden flight of SSLV is completed. All stages performed as expected. Data loss is observed during the terminal stage. It is being analysed. Will be updated soon.”
Moreover, Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) is a small-lift launch vehicle. Now, this rocket will be used for launching small satellites in the country. Let us tell you that the height of the sub-synchronous orbit is above 500 km.