Satellites no longer usable after deviation: ISRO on maiden SSLV mission

Source: The post is based on the article “Satellites no longer usable after deviation: ISRO on maiden SSLV mission” published in Business Standard on 7th August 2022.

What is the News?

Indian Space Research Organization(ISRO) has launched the first Small Satellite Launch Vehicle(SSLV) from Sriharikota. 

The vehicle carried an Earth Observation Satellite named EOS-02 and a co-passenger satellite, ‘Azaadi SAT’ into low earth orbit. However, ISRO later announced that these satellites are no longer usable.

Why are these satellites no longer usable?

The SSLV rocket placed these satellites in an elliptical orbit instead of a circular one.

An elliptical orbit is the lowest orbit and is not stable due to the Earth’s attraction force due to which the satellites could not stay in orbit and have already crashed. As a result, these satellites are no longer usable.

Nevertheless, the entire architecture of ISRO’s SSLV performed well apart from the “anomaly” that led to the mission’s failure.

What is SSLV?

SSLV is India’s smallest launch vehicle weighing 110 tonnes.

It can carry payloads weighing up to 500 kg and deploy satellites into a 500 km low earth orbit.

Advantages of SSLV: 1) Can be assembled within 72 hours by a team of just 5-6 people. 2) It costs at least one-tenth of those currently in use. 3) It can enable a space launch from India every week. 4) It caters specifically to the small and micro satellites that constitute over 90% of all satellites being launched these days.