ISRO to launch its new SSLV rocket on maiden flight on August 7 from Sriharikota

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up for its next satellite launch mission targeted for August 7. According to ISRO, the mission will be launched at 9:18 am IST from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota and will be the first demonstration launch of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV). Having a projected lifespan of six months, the EOS-02 mission is part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations on the 75th year of Independence. 

Mission objective

The brand new SSLV-D1 rocket will liftoff with a micro Earth Observation Satellite, EOS-02 along with the passenger satellite AzaadiSat. Weighing about 142 kg, the EOS-02 is equipped with an infrared camera for imaging whereas the AzaadiSat weighs just eight kg and has 5 Femto experiments along with selfie cameras to click pictures of its own solar panels and long-range communication transponders. 

INSPACe, the organisation to boost space sector in the country tweet that this satellite mission is expected to encourage young girls to take up subjects in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). 

However, the significance of the AzaadiSat is that it has been built by 750 girl students from 75 government schools across India. "From 75 Government schools for Girls across India, we have selected 10 Girl students from each school to give this opportunity. The selected students are predominantly from classes 8th -12th. This is a 1st of its kind Space mission with an ‘All women concept’ to promote Women in STEM as this year’s UN theme is “ Women in Space", SpaceKidz India said in an official statement. 

ISRO's next mission comes a few days after Union Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh informed the Lok Sabha that the agency would soon launch the SSLV which is capable of carrying payloads weighing 55 kg to 500 km planar orbit or 300 kg to Sun-synchronous Polar Orbit.

The SSLV will add to ISRO's third rocket type after the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). According to ISRO, the SSLV would reduce the mission turn-around time allowing for an on-demand launch and offer flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites. Moreover, the relatively smaller launch vehicle would be cost-effective during future satellite missions and would require minimum infrastructure for orbital launches.