At 9.18 AM, the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) of the Indian Space Research Organization took out from Sriharikota’s spaceport. But soon after, something went wrong. A terminal stage of the SSLV D1 mission experienced “data loss,” according to ISRO Chairman S. Somanath, minutes after launch. The ISRO quickly declared that the two satellites launched by the launch vehicle would not be functional. The issue is as follows.
EOS-02, an Earth observation satellite, was carried by the rocket. Additionally, a student satellite called AzaadiSAT was aboard. Up until the final stage, where ISRO scientists noticed the “data loss,” it continued to successfully complete every stage of the lift-off. The satellites were then “no longer usable” since SSLV had moved them from a circular orbit to an elliptical one.
The latter was created as a component of a government outreach initiative and reportedly has contributions from 75 female students from across the nation to encourage women to pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) occupations.
India’s official entry into the global market for modest commercial satellite launches is the SSLV.
This error caused the launch vehicle to place the satellites into a 365 km x 76 km elliptical orbit rather than the intended 365 km circular orbit, making it impossible to achieve the mission’s scientific goals.
