STAGE SET FOR PSLV-C53 LAUNCH FROM SRIHARIKOTA
The stage is set for launch of the PSLV-C53/DS-EO mission at 6.02pm from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, on Thursday. The 26hour-long countdown for the launch commenced at 4.02pm on Wednesday, after the launch authorisation board gave green signal during a meeting held at SDSC, Sriharikota on Wednesday afternoon.
According to ISRO scientists, this is the second dedicated commercial mission of Newspace India Ltd (NSIL) and it is designed to orbit DS-EO satellite along with two other copassenger satellites from Singapore. The mission also proposes to demonstrate the utilisation of the spent upper stage of the launch vehicle as a stabilised platform for scientific payloads subsequent to the separation of the satellites.
The PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) activity performs in-orbit scientific experiments using the spent PS4 stage as an orbital platform. This is the first time that the PS4 stage would orbit the earth as a stabilized platform.
Attitude stabilisation is achieved using a dedicated NGC system. POEM derives its power from the solar panels mounted around the PS4 tank and a Li Ion battery. It navigates using four Sun sensors, a magnetometer, gyros & NAVIC.
It carries dedicated control thrusters using Helium gas storage. This is enabled with the tele-command feature.
DS-EO is a 365kg satellite and NEUSAR is of 155kg, both of Singapore. The third satellite is a 2.8kg Scoob-1 of Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. DS-EO carries an Electro-optic, multispectral payload that will provide full colour images for land classification and serve Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief needs.
NEUSAR is Singapore’s first small commercial satellite carrying a SAR payload, capable of providing images day and night and in all weather conditions. SCOOB-I satellite is the first satellite in the Student Satellite Series (S3-I), a handson student training programme from the Satellite Research Centre at Singapore’s NTU School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.