Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the third developmental flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV). It placed the Earth observation satellite EOS-08 precisely into orbit. It also marked the completion of ISRO/Department of Space’s SSLV Development Project.
Key Facts about SSLV
- ISRO’s SSLV is a three-stage Launch Vehicle configured with three Solid Propulsion Stages.
- It also has a liquid propulsion-based Velocity Trimming Module (VTM) as a terminal stage to help adjust the velocity to place the satellite in orbit.
Need of SSLVs
- The aim behind SSLVs is to make low-cost launch vehicles with short turnaround times and minimal infrastructural requirements.
- The SSLV is capable of launching Mini, Micro or Nanosatellites (10 to 500 kg mass) into a 500 km orbit.
- Satellite launches by businesses, government agencies, universities and laboratories need smaller payloads.
- New Space India Limited (NSIL) is the commercial arm of ISRO with the primary responsibility of facilitating Indian industries to take up advanced technology space related activities.
Benefits of SSLV
- It takes only 72 hours to integrate, unlike the 70 days for Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLVs) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicles (GSLVs).
- It is an on-demand vehicle. Only six people are needed to complete the job quickly and at a cost of around Rs 30 crore.
PSLVs and GSLVs
- PSLVs: It is the third generation of Indian satellite launch vehicles.
- It was first used in 1994 and more than 50 successful PSLV launches have taken place.
- It has also been called “the workhorse of ISRO” for consistently delivering various satellites into low earth orbits (less than 2,000 km in altitude) with a high success rate.
- It successfully launched two spacecraft “Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and Mars Orbiter Mission in 2013″.
- It can take up to 1,750 kg of payload to Sun-Synchronous Polar Orbits (SSPO) of 600 km altitude.
- SSPO is synchronous with the sun i.e., they pass over an Earth region at the same local time every day.
- GSLVs: It has been designed, developed, and operated by ISRO to launch satellites and other space objects into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbits (GTO).
- GTO is an elliptical orbit that a spacecraft takes as the first step towards achieving a geosynchronous or geostationary orbit around Earth.
- GSLV is a three-stage vehicle.
- The first stage comprises solid booster, second stage is a liquid engine and third stage is the indigenously built Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) carrying cryogenic propellants.
NewSpace India Limited (NSIL)
- NSIL is a wholly owned Government of India company, under the administrative control of the Department of Space (DOS).
- The major business areas of NSIL include:
- Production of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) for industry.
- Production and marketing of space-based services, including launch services and space-based applications like transponder leasing, remote sensing and mission support services.
- Building of Satellites (both Communication and Earth Observation) as per user requirements.
- Transfer of technology developed by ISRO centers/ units and constituent institutions of Department of Space.