ISRO launches three foreign satellites in commercial mission

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Thursday successfully launched three foreign satellites in precise orbit from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, 100 km from here.

The PSLV-C53/DS-EO is the second dedicated commercial mission of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO. The space agency’s workhorse, PSLV, launched DS-EO satellite along with two other co-passenger satellites from Singapore at 6.02 pm – this is PSLV’s 55thmission and 15th mission using PSLV-Core Alone variant.

PSLV-C53 carried three satellites. DS-EO, a 365 kg and NeuSAR, a 155 kg satellite both belong to Singapore. The third satellite is a 2.8 kg Scoob-1 of Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore.

After 20 minutes, the PSLV launched all --DS-EO, NeuSAR and SCOOB-1 in the intended orbit with ISRO Chairman S Somanath declaring that the mission achieved its intended objective.

“The rocket placed the three customer satellites in the precise orbit of 570 km with a 10-degree inclination. I congratulate NSIL for accomplishing yet another major mission this month itself," Somanath said.

ISRO said the mission proposes to demonstrate the utilization of the spent upper stage of the launch vehicle as a stabilized platform for scientific payloads subsequent to the separation of the satellites.

NeuSAR is Singapore's first small commercial satellite carrying a SAR payload, which is capable of providing images in day and night and under all weather conditions, while SCOOB-I is the first satellite in the Student Satellite Series (S3-I), a hands-on student training program from the Satellite Research Centre (SaRC) at Singapore's NTU School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) DS-EO carries an Electro-Optic, multi-spectral 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 aR payload, which is capable of providing images in day and night and under all weather conditions.

POEM carries six payloads including two from Indian Space Start-ups Digantara and Dhruva Space, enabled through IN-SPACe and NSIL.