- Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch its Earth Observation Satellite-08 (EOS-08) on 15 August 2024, its 55th foundation day.
- ISRO was formed on 15 August 1969 as the premier space agency of the government of India. The EOS-08 satellite will be launched by ISRO’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV)-D3. Here, D stands for Developmental.
- The satellite will be launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
Earth Observation Satellite-08 (EOS-08)
- The EOS-08 is a remote-sensing microsatellite with a mass of around 175.5 kg. It will be placed in a Circular Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) at an altitude of 475 km.
- The life of the satellite is around 1 year.
- The satellite has the capability to capture images both during the day and night in the Mid-Wave and Long-Wave infrared bands for applications such as satellite-based disaster monitoring, environmental monitoring, fire detection, surveillance, industrial and power plant disaster monitoring and volcanic activity observation,
- The satellite will help with ocean surface wind analysis, soil moisture assessment, cryosphere studies over the Himalayan region, flood detection, and inland waterbody detection.
Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV)-D3
- ISRO has developed a Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) to launch nano, mini, and microsatellites up to 500 kg of mass to a 500 km Low-Earth Orbit (LEO). It can launch one or more than one satellite in a single launch.
- It has been developed to meet the growing demand by private companies worldwide for a launch-on-demand platform for these smaller satellites.
- The SSLV rocket is a three-stage rocket with three solid propulsion stages and the final liquid module stage for injecting the satellite into the intended orbit.
- The SSLV D-3 is the third and final developmental flight of the ISRO’s SSLV rockets. It will be launched on 15 August carrying the EOS-08 satellite.
- The first SSLV D-1 flight, launched in August 2022, failed to meet the mission objectives.
- The second developmental flight, SSLV D-2, launched in February 2023, was a success. It carried three satellites -EOS-07, Janus-1, and AzaadiSAT-2.
- If the SSLV D-3 is successful, then ISRO’s SSLV platform will be declared successful and fully operational.