Maiden launch of mini-PSLV on Sunday | India News

NEW DELHI: In an attempt to be more competitive in the commercial satellite market, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is set to conduct the maiden launch of its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) or mini-PSLV at 9.18 am on Sunday (August 7). The mini launcher is low cost and can be built on-demand in the shortest possible time.
The rocket will carry an earth observation satellite (EOS-02) mission, a technology demonstration satellite for various new technologies with applications that include agriculture, forestry, geology and hydrology, to space.
An SSLV is 2m in diameter and 34m in length with a lift-off weight of just 120 tonnes as compared to a PSLV’s 320 tonne weight. It is capable of launching nano, micro & small satellites and a satellite upto 500kg in the 500km planar orbit. The mini launcher has a low turnaround time, flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites and minimal launch infrastructure requirements.
The SSLV, which is a three-stage all-solid stage vehicle, will be the smallest in Isro’s arsenal of launchers and will free workhorse PSLV for bigger missions. The SSLV mission is aimed at showcasing Isro’s capability to deliver smaller payloads into low earth orbit and will give the agency an edge in the satellite market.
Isro has invited citizens to the launch view gallery at Sriharikota to witness the SSLV launch. The Indian spaceport, which usually attracts hundreds of visitors, was closed during the first few waves of the Covid pandemic. As part of Covid-19 precautions, visitors are requested to produce either vaccination certificate (2 doses) or Covid-19 negative certificate.
The ground testing of the solid booster stage (SS1) for the mini launcher was last carried out on March 14 this year at Sriharikota. All the propulsion parameters during the test were found satisfactory and closely matching with the predictions.