Isro launches Brazil’s Amazonia-1, 18 others

Sat carries Modi pic & Bhagavad Gita in digital card

Sriharikota (AP), Feb. 28: In the first dedicated mission of its commercial arm NSIL, the Isro on Sunday successfully launched Brazil’s earth observation satellite Amazonia-1 and 18 other co-passengers, including five built by students, onboard a polar rocket from the spaceport.

The satellites were placed in precise orbits one after another after the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLVC51 lifted off at 10.24 am from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR), in the first mission this year for the Indian Space Research Organisation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Isro on the success of the first dedicated commerciallaunch mission of PSLV-C51/ Amazonia-1, saying it ushers in a new era of space reforms in the country.

Vice-president M. Venkaiah Naidu and Telangana CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao also lauded Isro, whose tally of foreign sattelites launched rose to 342 with Sunday’s mission. The co-passengers included Satish Dhawan Satellite (SDSAT) nano satellite from Chennai-based Space Kidz India (SKI) which is engraved with a picture of Modi and also carried Bhagavad Gita in a Secured Digital card format.

According to SKI, the picture of Mr Modi has been engraved on the top panel of the spacecraft to show solidarity and gratitude for his Atma Nirbhar initiative and space sector reforms.

Of the five built by students, the SD-SAT is intended to study radiation levels among others, while UNITYsat, a threein-one satellite by universities, is for providing radio relay service and SindhuNetra developed by Bengaluru-based PES University would be used for identifying suspicious ships through satellite imaging, officials said.

Amazonia-1, a fully Brazil built satellite with a mission life of four years, is intended for providing remote sensing data to users for monitoring deforestation in the Amazon region.