ISRO launches Brazil satellite for first time

Bengaluru, February 27

If things go as planned, an Indian rocket will launch a Brazilian satellite for the first time from Sriharikota spaceport on Sunday. It’s also Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) first launch of 2021.

Subject to weather conditions, the blastoff is scheduled at 10.24 hours from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota, where countdown commenced at 08.54 hours on Saturday for the PSLV-C51/Amazonia-1 mission.

PSLV-C51 rocket, which is the 53rd mission of PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle), will launch Amazonia-1 of Brazil as primary satellite and 18 co-passenger payloads from the first launch pad of the Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh’s Nellore district, about 100 km from Chennai.

These co-passenger satellites include Satish Dhawan Sat (SD SAT) from Chennai-based Space Kidz India (SKI). A picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been engraved on the top panel of this spacecraft.

“This is to show solidarity and gratitude for his (PM’s) Aatmanirbhar initiative and space privatisation,” said SKI. It’s also a big day for Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO’s commercial arm NewSpace India Limited (NSIL). PSLV-C51/Amazonia-1 is the first dedicated commercial mission of NSIL, which is undertaking it under a commercial arrangement with Seattle, US-based satellite rideshare and mission management provider, Spaceflight Inc.

“We are eagerly looking forward to the launch. We are very proud to launch the first Brazilian-built satellite,” said NSIL Chairman and Managing Director G Narayanan.

The 18 co-passenger satellites are: four from ISRO’s Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (three UNITYsats from consortium of three Indian academic institutes and the SD SAT from SKI) and 14 from NSIL.

The SKI will also be sending 25,000 names on board SD SAT. “When we finalised the mission, we had asked people to send the names that will be sent to space”, an SKI official said. PTI RS