ISRO successfully launches SSLV’s second developmental flight

Context- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched its second developmental flight of a Small Satellite Launch Vehicle i.e. SSLV-D2 also placed three satellites in its precise orbit.

Key Highlights 

• The three satellites are Earth Observation Satellites of ISRO and those are EOS 07, Janus-1 of U.S.-based firm Antaris and AzaadiSAT-2 of Chennai-based space start-up SpaceKidz. 
• SSLV-D2 lifted off from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre-SHAR, Sriharikota as the first satellite launch in 2023.
• The launch vehicle injected satellites into close to 450 km circular orbit at an inclination of 37.2 degrees. 
• The tracking network took control of the EOS-07 satellite and the Deployment of the solar panels and the generation of power was also confirmed.
• In its second attempt SSLV-D2 has placed the EOS-07 satellite in its intended orbit accurately. 
• The two other satellites i.e. Janus-1 and AzaadiSAT-2 were also placed in the required orbit.
• SSLV had its maiden flight SSLV-D1 and it had a narrow miss of placing the satellite in the orbit due to a shortfall in velocity.
• The first developmental flight of SSLV by ISRO lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on August 7, 2022, and ended up to be a partial failure, as the rocket failed to inject its satellite payload in their intended orbits.
• According to ISRO, the spacecraft was injected into a highly elliptical unstable orbit because of a shortfall in velocity, leading to their decay and deorbiting immediately, in spite of the normal performance of all solid propulsion stages. 
• Subsequent detailed analysis of the flight events and observations ranging from the countdown, lift-off, propulsion performance, stage separations and satellite injection revealed that there was a vibration disturbance for a short duration on the Equipment Bay (EB) deck in the second stage (SS2) separation. 
• It affected the Inertial Navigation System (INS), resulting in declaring the sensors faulty by the logic in Fault Detection and Isolation (FDI) software.

SSLV-D2

• EOS-07 satellite is a 156.3 kg satellite designed, developed and realized by ISRO. 
• The objective of the mission is to design and develop payload instruments compatible with microsatellite buses and new technologies that are required for future operational satellites. 
• Moreover, it will design and develop a microsatellite accommodating certain new technology payloads in a quick turn-around time. 
• The new experiments include mm-Wave Humidity Sounder as well as Spectrum Monitoring Payload. 
• Weighing about 10.2 kg, Janus-1 is a technology demonstrator, smart satellite mission that is based on the Antaris software platform. 
• Weighing about 8.7 kg satellite AzaadiSAT-2 is a combined effort of around 750 girl students across India guided by Space Kidz India, Chennai.
• As per the details provided by ISRO, SSLV caters to the launch of up to 500 kg satellites to Low Earth Orbits on a “launch-on-demand” basis. 
• This provides low-cost access to space, offers low turn-around time and also flexibility in accommodating several satellites, and demands minimal launch infrastructure. 
• It is further configured with three solid propulsion stages and a velocity terminal module. 
• This is a 34 m tall, 2 m diameter vehicle having a lift-off mass of 120 tonnes.

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