ISRO's smallest rocket completes final test flight successfully

Sriharikota: ISRO successfully launched its third and final developmental flight of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle here on Friday whose payloads can be used in applications like satellite-based surveillance, disaster and environmental monitoring, fire detection, volcanic activity among others.

The flight-LV-D3- would also pave the way for the industry to collaborate with ISRO's commercial arm NewSpace India Ltd for taking up launches using the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle. As the six-hour countdown for the mission concluded, the LV rocket carrying the primary Earth Observation Satellite EOS-08 lifted off majestically from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, situated about 135 km east of Chennai at a pre-fixed time of 9.17 am and later achieved its mission.

"The third developmental flight of LV is successful. The LV-D3 placed EOS-08 precisely into the orbit. This marks the successful completion of ISRO/DOS'sLV Development Project. With technology transfer, the Indian industry and @NSIL_India will now produceLV for commercial missions," ISRO said in a post on X. While the maiden mission ofLV in August 2022 did not yield the desired results for the scientists as the launch vehicle did not place the satellites into the intended orbits, the subsequent one,LV-D2-EOS-07 in February 2023 was a success.

ISRO had planned for the latest mission to be launched on August 15 at 9.17 am but it was rescheduled for 24 hours later with a 60-minute launch window. After a flight of about 10-12 minutes, the primary Earth Observation Satellite got separated successfully. Within a few minutes, a SR-O DEMOSAT Satellite developed by Space Kidz India weighing 200 grams also got separated, signalling the mission’s success. Scientists at the Mission Control Centre congratulated each other on the successful mission, as according to ISRO, it completed the developmental flights ofLV rockets.

Friday’s successful mission enables NewSpace India Ltd to commence the dedicated commercial launch of satellites to industry players who are keen to launch satellites weighing up to 500 kg into Low Earth Orbits (LEO) or up to 500 km above Earth. ALV rocket is shorter at 34 metres (compared to PSLV rockets which are 44 metres tall) and are used to place satellites (mini, micro or nano satellites) that weigh up to 500 kg below 500 km of LEO. The satellites carried in the mission weigh 175.5 kg and the launch vehicle comprises three solid propulsion stages and a liquid module as a terminal stage.