Prior to the celebration of Independence Day on August 14, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will launch its newly built Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) on its first mission.
The Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, will launch the SSLV-D1/EOS-02 Mission on Sunday, August 7, 2022, at 9:18 am (IST), the space agency said on Twitter.
Given that Prime Minister Narendra Modi set a timetable for the first human spaceflight to occur by India’s 75th Independence Day address from the Red Fort’s ramparts on Independence Day 2018, this is crucial.
Due to the epidemic, development on the Gaganyaan mission, the nation’s first human space journey, was delayed. The first abort test, which will show how to deploy the crew escape mechanism in the event of a midflight emergency, is now slated for later this year.
The epidemic caused a two-year delay in the SSLV mission as well. Experts thought that since the new launch vehicle was created with commercial launches of tiny satellites and rapid turnaround times for the missions in mind, it may hurt the space agency’s financial prospects in the global space market.
One of India’s Earth Observation Satellites, EOS-2, which will be used for mapping and the creation of different GIS applications, will be carried by the SSLV on its initial mission.
It will be equipped with a 6 meter-resolution mid-wavelength infrared camera as well as a long-wavelength infrared camera. Ten months will pass until the 142 kilogramme satellite’s mission is over.
“The debut of the SSLV was long overdue. It will relieve Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles of the responsibility for commercial launches (PSLV). And will probably provide speedy, inexpensive launch for tiny satellites. Given the support given to space entrepreneurs, ISRO should have the resources to carry it out, according to Ajey Lele, senior fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.
On its first flight, SSLV will also transport the AzadiSat, a satellite created by 750 rural kids from across the nation under the direction of the space start-up SpaceKidz India.
The satellite, which was prepared for integration with the launch vehicle, was sent to Sriharikota on Monday.
The SSLV is expected to cost a fourth as much as the PSLV because it is primarily intended as a commercial spacecraft. A team of six people can construct it in seven days as opposed to a team of 600 who need several months to assemble a PSLV.
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