The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) successfully launched PSLV-C53/DS-EO Mission from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota on June 30, 2022.
Salient features
- It placed the three satellites — a 365 kg Singaporean Earth Observation Satellite, DS-EO, a 155 kg small commercial satellite with a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payload, the NeuSAR; and a 2.8 kg satellite from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and SCOOB-1 — into orbit 19 minutes after lift-off.
About PLSV-C53
- PSLV-C53 is the second dedicated commercial mission of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL). It is designed to orbit DS-EO satellite along with two other co-passenger satellites from Singapore.
- This is the 55th mission of PSLV and 15th mission using PSLV-Core Alone variant.
- The PSLV is a four-stage rocket where the first three spent stages fall back into the ocean, and the final stage (PS4) — after launching the satellite into orbit — ends up as space junk. However, in PSLV-C53 mission, the spent final stage will be utilised as a “stabilised platform” to perform experiments.
- The main payload of the mission was a 365 kg Singaporean DS-EO satellite, which is an electro-optic, earth-observation satellite capable of providing full-colour images for land classification and disaster-relief operations.
PS-4 stage and POEM
- Along with the commercial satellites, the space agency also sent on board six in-orbit experiments mounted on the fourth stage of the rocket (PS-4 stage) in the current mission.
- The PS-4 stage is a stationary platform in orbit to conduct scientific experiments.
- The PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) is a platform that will help perform in-orbit experiments using the final, and otherwise discarded, stage of ISRO’s workhorse rocket, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
- ISRO would take over the PS-4 stage and give it some energy to do some cost-effective experiments in orbit that can satisfy the growing demand from startups, and the student and scientific communities.
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