On April 22, 2023, the Indian Space Research Organisations (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C55 (PSLV-C55) successfully launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, carrying Singapore’s TeLEOS-2 satellite as the primary payload and Lumelite-4 as a co-passenger satellite. The mission was accomplished successfully, with the vehicle placing both satellites precisely into their intended orbit.
Live Broadcast of ISRO’s PSLVC55 Mission Launch
PSLV-C55 Mission Overview
The PSLV-C55 is a dedicated commercial PSLV mission of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a government-owned company under the Department of Space. The mission was carried out for an international satellite customer from Singapore. The launch vehicle configuration used in this mission was PSLV-CA, the 16th mission using this configuration. The PSLV-CA is a version of PSLV with no strap-on boosters.
The TeLEOS-2 satellite is a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite developed under a partnership between DSTA (representing the Government of Singapore) and ST Engineering. It will be used to support the satellite imagery requirements of various agencies within the Government of Singapore. TeLEOS-2 carries a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payload, which will be able to provide all-weather day and night coverage, and is capable of imaging at 1m full-polarimetric resolution.
The Lumelite-4 satellite, on the other hand, is co-developed by the Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R) of A*STAR and Satellite Technology and Research Centre (STAR) of the National University of Singapore. It is an advanced 12U satellite developed for the technological demonstration of the High-Performance Space-borne VHF Data Exchange System (VDES). Using the VDES communication payload developed by I2R and STAR’s scalable satellite bus platform, it aims to augment Singapore’s e-navigation maritime safety and benefit the global shipping community.
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PSLV-C55 mission will carry out in-orbit scientific experiments by using the spent PS4 stage as an orbital platform. This is the third time that PS4 will be used after satellite separations as a platform for experiments. The payloads will be powered on by a command after all satellites are separated. The platform will have a solar panel mounted around the PS4 tank, which will be deployed after confirmation of the stage achieving stabilization. The deployment of the solar panels will be through a ground command.
The platform will ensure that the deployed solar panel points towards the Sun optimally using the appropriate sun-pointing mode, which will increase the power generation capability of the platform. The power will be provided to payloads and avionic packages based on their requirements.
ISRO Chairperson Congratulates the Team
ISRO Chairperson S. Somnath congratulated the PSLV and NSIL team on this successful launch, adding that there are “interesting things” lined up in the near future. This successful launch is a testament to the technical capabilities of ISRO, and it highlights their importance in the global space community.
Conclusion
The successful launch of PSLV-C55 carrying TeLEOS-2 and Lumelite-4 satellites is a major achievement for ISRO and NSIL. This mission demonstrates the technical prowess of ISRO and showcases their ability to carry out complex commercial missions. With several interesting missions lined up in the near future, ISRO is all set to continue its impressive legacy in the field of space exploration.
Source: India Today
