ISRO’s PSLV-C55 successfully deployed 2 Singapore satellites into orbit: According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), two Singaporean spacecraft, TeLEOS-2 and Lumelite-4, were successfully launched into orbit by the dependable Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), while seven other payloads connected to the PS4 upper stage were utilised for experiments.
April 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
ISRO’s PSLV-C55 successfully deployed 2 Singapore satellites into orbit: Key Points
● The Satish Dhawan Space Centre hosted the launch.
● The launch represented the 57th PSLV flight and the 16th mission using the PSLV Core Alone configuration, the launch vehicle’s lightest design because it only has four core stages and no strap-on boosters to offer additional thrust, according to ISRO.
● PSLV-C55, which took around 20 minutes to launch, placed TeLEOS-2 in an orbit 586 kilometres above the earth.
● The 16 kilogramme Lumelite-4 was then sent into orbit as well. The Defence Science and Technology Agency of Singapore and ST Engineering, a Singaporean technology and engineering company, collaborated on the development of the TeLEOS-2 satellite.
● Once installed and operational, it will be used to fulfil the satellite imagery needs of many agencies in Singapore.
● Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is the payload carried by TeLEOS-2. It will offer coverage in all weather conditions day and night.
Development of the Lumelite-4 satellite
The Lumelite-4 satellite was developed in collaboration with the National University of Singapore’s Satellite Technology and Research Centre and A*STAR’s Institute for Infocomm Research. The high-performance space-borne VHF data exchange system was built for technological demonstration by Lumelite-4, a cutting-edge 12U satellite. It seeks to improve the maritime safety systems for electronic navigation in Singapore.
The mission also contained a PSLV Orbital Experimental Module, which would utilise the discarded PS4 stage of the launch vehicle as an orbital platform for conducting scientific experiments with non-separating payloads. According to S Somnath, chairman of Isro, who talked to the media after the launch, the first unmanned Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) rocket is expected to launch in February 2024 as part of the Gaganyaan mission. There will be two important mission tests before that, which are scheduled to take place in the upcoming months.
Gaganyaan Mission: About
● Gaganyaan, India’s first human space journey, is scheduled to launch in the fourth quarter of 2024.
● The unmanned G1 mission is scheduled to launch in the fourth quarter of 2024, followed by the second unmanned G2 mission in the second quarter of 2024, and finally the final human space flight H1 mission in the fourth quarter of 2024.
● ISRO’s Gaganyaan project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of human space flight by launching a crew of three people into a 400 km orbit for a three-day trip and returning them safely to land in the Indian Ocean.
Important Takeaways For All Competitive Exams:
● ISRO Chairman: S. Somanath
● ISRO foundation year: 15th August 1969
● ISRO founded by: Vikram Sarabhai.
