ISRO's SSLV mission fails, satellites in wrong orbit

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 7

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday said the satellites onboard its maiden Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) “are no longer usable” after SSLV-D1/EOS-02 placed them in an elliptical orbit instead of a circular one. The space research body said it was probing the event, so as to ensure the second launch was “completely successful”.

About the space vehicle

• The Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) was carrying an earth observation satellite and a student satellite from the spaceport in Sriharikota
• Indian Space Research Organisation developed the SSLV to cater to the launch of up to 500 kg satellites into the Low Earth Orbits on launch-on-demand basis
• The mission was carrying EOS-02 and AzaadiSAT satellites

EOS-02

• An earth observation satellite designed and realised by ISRO
• Microsat series satellite offers advanced optical remote sensing operating in infra-red band with high spatial resolution.

AzaadiSAT

• An 8U Cubesat weighs around 8 kg
• Carries 75 different payloads each weighing around 50 gm and conducting femto-experiments

“The satellites were placed into 356 km x 76 km elliptical orbit instead of 356 km circular orbit,” ISRO said, noting the satellites have already come down from the orbit and are no longer usable.

“Experts are already looking into why SSLV-D1 was not able to place the two satellites into orbit. The satellites are no longer usable. The issue has been reasonably identified but we will go deeper. It is linked to equipment inability in the rocket to identify a sensor failure and go for a salvage option” ISRO chairman S Somnath said today.

He said ISRO would identify the problem soonest and carry out an evaluation.

“We hope with small corrections and further revalidation we will come back for launch for the next developmental flight of SSLV-D2 very soon,” he said.

The first experimental developmental launch of the SSLV carrying two satellites took place at 9.18 am today. ISRO said the vehicle took off majestically, performing very well in the first, second and the third stages. “The entire vehicle performance was very good in the mission. Finally, when it reached the orbit at an altitude of 356 km, the satellites were separated. We noticed an anomaly in the placement of satellites,” ISRO chief said. ISRO noted that the satellites were placed in an elliptical rather than circular orbit.

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