SSLV suffers 'data loss' at terminal stage: ISRO

ISRO Chairman S Somanath on Sunday informed the space agency’s maiden Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) suffered ”data loss” at the terminal stage, although three stages ”performed and separated,” and said the space agency was analyzing the data to ascertain the status of the vehicle and the satellites.

SSLV-D1/EOS 02 was carrying an earth observation satellite and a student satellite.

”All stages performed as expected. The first stage performed and separated, the second stage performed and separated, the third stage also performed and separated, and in the terminal phase of the mission, some data loss occurs we are analyzing the data and we will come back on the status of the satellites as well as the vehicle performance soon,” Somanath said from the Mission Control Centre here, minutes after the launch vehicle lifted off from the spaceport.

”We are currently in the process of analyzing the data to conclude on the outcome of the mission concerning stable orbit achieved or not, please wait and we will come back,” he added.

A jubilant mood in the Mission Control Centre soon made way for anxiety, before Somanath updated about the mission status.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) embarked on its maiden small satellite launch vehicle (SSLV) mission, carrying earth observation satellite EOS-02 and co-passenger students satellite AzaadiSAT on Sunday. The SSLV-D1/EOS-02 mission by the Indian space agency is aimed at garnering a larger pie in the small launch vehicles market, as it can place the satellites into Low Earth Orbit.

At the end of a seven-and-a-half-hour countdown, the 34-meter-long SSLV soared majestically at 9.18 am amid cloudy skies to place the satellites into the intended orbit.

The EOS-02 is an experimental optical remote sensing satellite with a high spatial resolution. It is to realize and fly an experimental imaging satellite with a short turnaround time and to demonstrate launch-on-demand capability. EOS-02 belongs to the microsatellite series of space crafts.

The AzaadiSAT is an 8U Cubesat weighing around 8kgs. It carries 75 different payloads each weighing around 50grams. Girl students from rural regions across the country were guided to build these payloads.

The payloads are integrated by the student team of ‘Space Kidz India’. The ground system developed by ‘Space Kidz India’ will be utilized for receiving the data from this satellite, ISRO said.