Sriharikota: ISRO successfully carried out the launch of its reliable PSLV rocket, propelling seven Singaporean satellites into their designated orbits from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
The DS-SAR satellite was developed in partnership with the Government of Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency and ST Engineering. It will be launched into a near-equatorial orbit (NEO) at 5 degrees inclination at a 535 km altitude.
On the successful launch and separation of the satellites, ISRO posted on Twitter, ‘PSLV-C56/DS-SAR Mission: The mission is successfully accomplished. PSLV-C56 vehicle launched all seven satellites precisely into their intended orbits. Thanks to @NSIL_India and Singapore, for the contract.’ This ISRO mission, which comes after the much-awaited Chandrayaan-3 launch earlier this month, is being undertaken by its commercial arm NewSpace India Limited.
Approximately 23 minutes following takeoff, the primary satellite was successfully deployed. In this dedicated commercial mission, ISRO’s reliable Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle is carrying the DS-SAR Radar Imaging Earth Observation satellite, which has been developed through a collaboration between DSTA (representing the Government of Singapore) and ST Engineering, Singapore.
Weighing 360 kg, this satellite will be positioned at an altitude of 535 km in a Near-equatorial Orbit (NEO) to meet the satellite imagery needs of various governmental agencies in Singapore.
ST Engineering will utilize the satellite for versatile and more responsive imagery and geospatial services for their commercial clients. The satellite is equipped with a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payload developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, enabling DS-SAR to deliver all-weather, day-and-night coverage with a capability to capture images at a resolution of 1 meter.
Following the 25-hour countdown that commenced on Saturday, the 44.4-meter tall rocket gracefully lifted off from the first launch pad at this spaceport at the scheduled time of 6.31 am, trailing thick fumes in its wake.
