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Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV)

Posted on January 27, 2022 by admin1  547

In News

Recently ,the Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) announced that indigenous Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) will have its maiden development flight in April 2022. 

  • The SSLV-D1 Micro SAT will be launched in April 2022.

 

Image Courtesy:nsilindia

About 

  • Dr  S Somanath (New Chairman of ISRO ) is credited with designing and developing the SSLV during his tenure as director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram since 2018.
    • The maiden flight of the SSLV was scheduled to launch in July 2019 but that has since been delayed due to setbacks from Covid-19 and other issues.
  • Nodel agency : NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) under Department of Space will be the sole nodal agency responsible for providing end to end SSLV  launch services for the customer satellite .
  • SSLV has been designed to meet “Launch on Demand” requirements in a cost-effective manner..
  •  It is a 3 stage all solid vehicle and it is the smallest vehicle at 110-ton mass at ISRO. 
  • It can carry satellites weighing up to 500 kg to a low earth orbit while the tried and tested PSLV can launch satellites weighing in the range of 1000 kg.
  • It will take only 72 hours to integrate, unlike the 70 days taken now for a launch vehicle. 
    • Only six people will be required to do the job, instead of 60 people. 
  • The entire job will be done in a very short time and the cost will be only around Rs 30 crore. It will be an on-demand vehicle.
  • SSLV is perfectly suited for launching multiple microsatellites at a time and supports multiple orbital drop-offs. 

Image Courtesy:nsilindia

  • Aims: 
    • The primary aim of the project is the development of a cost-effective launch vehicle with a high launch frequency and a quick turnaround capability to cater to the growing opportunities in the global launch services market for small satellites
    • To create greater synergy between the space sector and private Indian industries .
  • Commercial booking and Agreements
    • The SSLV received a commercial booking from US space launch services intermediary Spaceflight Inc in 2019.
  • ISRO had signed six agreements with four countries for launching foreign satellites between 2021 and 2023. 
    • €132 million would be earned through the launch of these satellites. 

About Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle

  • It is the third generation launch vehicle of India.
  • It is the first Indian launch vehicle to be equipped with liquid stages.
  • After its first successful launch in October 1994, PSLV emerged as the reliable and versatile workhorse launch vehicle of India with 39 consecutively successful missions by June 2017.
  • The vehicle successfully launched two spacecraft – Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and Mars Orbiter Spacecraft in 2013 – that later travelled to Moon and Mars respectively.
  • Difference: PSLV was developed to launch low-Earth Orbit satellites into polar and sun synchronous orbits whereas GSLV was developed to launch the heavier INSAT class of geosynchronous satellites into orbit.

What is Low-Earth orbit ? 

  • Low-Earth orbit (often known as LEO) encompasses Earth-centered orbits with an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 mi) or less.

Source:IE

 
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