ISRO successfully launches PSLV-C55 to place 2 satellites in orbit for Earth observation

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched PSLV-C55 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota on Saturday and placed two Singaporean Earth observation satellites into the planned orbit. ISRO Chief S Somanath said: “Congratulations to the PSLV-C55/TeLEOS-2 mission – the PSLV has placed both satellites in the planned orbit.”

The launch was completed at 2:19 p.m. IST, ISRO said.

While writing the POEM,
here are the initials 📸… pic.twitter.com/cfoxt7Op8I

—ISRO (@isro) April 22, 2023

Speaking about the launch, he said that the Polar satellite launcher, on its 57th flight, once again demonstrated its reliability and suitability for a commercial launch.

“It was an eastbound mission. and the inclination is 9.9 degrees, very accurate. PSLV in its 57th flight has once again demonstrated its high reliability and suitability for commercial missions of this class” , said the head of ISRO.

“This is the fifth launch of this edition. This rocket launch is carried out with eight small payloads and we prayed for the success of this launch,” the ISRO president said Friday during his visit to the temple. Chengalamma goddesses in the city of Sullurpeta in Tirupati. district

This launch also has significance for the Indian space startup ecosystem, as the dedicated commercial rocket from NSIL (NewSpace India Limited) carried the two Singapore satellites as main payloads and seven non-separating payloads belonging to ISRO, at Indian Institute of Astrophysics and Bellatrix startups. and the Dhruva space.

The dedicated commercial mission was conducted via NSIL with TeLEOS-2 as the primary satellite and Lumelite-4 as the co-passenger satellite. The two satellites, which are owned by Singapore, weigh about 741kg and 16kg respectively and are intended to be launched into a low inclination orbit to the east, ISRO said.

The TeLEOS-2 satellite is being developed through a partnership between DSTA (representing the Singapore government) and ST Engineering. Once deployed and operational, it will be used to support the satellite imagery needs of various Singapore government agencies. TeLEOS-2 carries a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payload. TeLEOS-2 will be able to provide day and night coverage in all weather conditions, and capable of imaging at full 1m polarimetric resolution.

The LUMELITE-4 satellite co-developed by the Institute for Infocomm Research of A*STAR and the Satellite Technology and Research Center (STAR) of the National University of Singapore.

LUMELITE4 is an advanced 12U satellite developed for the technology demonstration of the high-performance space-based VHF Data Exchange System (VDES). Using the VDES communication payload, it aims to increase Singapore’s e-Navigation maritime safety and benefit the global maritime community.

The mission has the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM), where the spent PS4 stage of the launcher would be used as an orbital platform to perform science experiments through non-separable payloads. The payloads belong to ISRO/Space Department, Bellatrix, Dhruva Space and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, ISRO said.

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