ISRO successfully launches SSLV-D2 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday (February 10) successfully launched its second developmental flight of a Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) from Sriharikota.

The SSLV-D2 soared into the skies at 9:18 am from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre to put as many as three satellites into a 450 km circular orbit during its 15 minute flight.

The three satellites are ISRO's EOS-07, US-based firm Antaris' Janus-1 and Chennai-based space startup SpaceKidz's AzaadiSAT-2.

Also read: ISRO to launch rocket SSLV-D2 today: 5 things you need to know

The first test flight of SSLV had ended in partial failure on August 9 last year, as the rocket failed to inject its satellite payload in their intended orbits.

SSLV has provided low-cost access to space, offering low turn-around time and flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites, and demand minimal launch infrastructure. It is configured with three solid propulsion stages and a velocity terminal module.

New experiments include mm-Wave Humidity Sounder and Spectrum Monitoring Payload. While, Janus-1, a 10.2 kg satellite, belongs to Antaris, USA. A 8.7 kg satellite, AzaadiSAT-2, is a combined effort of about 750 girl students across India guided by Space Kidz India, Chennai.

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An investigation into the failure of SSLV-D1 by ISRO revealed that the mission failed after the upper stage of the launch vehicle injected the satellite into a highly elliptical unstable orbit due to a shortfall in velocity.

The failure detection logic identified a degraded accelerometer and isolated it for improved mission performance. During the second stage separation, all six accelerometers experienced measurement saturation due to high vibration levels for a short duration.

This malfunction initiated a salvage mode with the purpose of saving the mission, but it could not inject the satellite into a safe orbit.