About AzaadiSAT 2 | UPSC Current Affairs

Description

Disclaimer: Copyright infringement not intended.

Context

ISRO launched its new offering, the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), on a second demonstration mission to Low Earth Orbit.
The launch vehicle also carried rideshare payload Janus-1 and AzaadiSAT-2.

Background and Details

AzaadiSAT was an Indian Earth observation 8U Cubesat weighing around 8 kg developed by the Space Kidz India as a test payload on the maiden launch of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV).
It was hitching a ride with EOS-02, the primary satellite of the mission. The launch on 7 August 2022 was a failure leading to imminent return to atmosphere for the rocket and the satellites (AzaadiSAT and EOS-02) it carried, destroying them all.
AzaadiSAT aims to measure various health data like temperature and reset count from 75 student experiments installed inside the satellite.
Its successor AzaadiSAT-2 was launched onboard SSLV-D2.

AzaadiSAT-2

AzaadiSAT-2, the official successor of AzaadiSAT, was placed in a 450km circular orbit.
It was launched onboard SSLV-D2. It features a modular satellite bus expansion system capable of transforming from 8U to 64U once in orbit. Other payloads remain unchanged from the original AzaadiSAT.
AzaadiSAT-2 has 75 payloads each weighing around 50g and which is meant to conduct femto-experiments and also demonstrate LoRa and amateur radio communication capabilities. Also, payloads would measure ionizing radiation in its orbit using sensors and measure various data like temperature and IMU data from 75 student experiments installed inside the satellite.

SSLV

About: The Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (or SSLV) is a small-lift launch vehiclebeing developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Aim: The SSLV was developed with the aim of launching small satellites commercially at drastically reduced price and higher launch rate as compared to Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
Capacity and Features: It has a payload capacity to deliver 600 kg. SSLV is a three-stage, all-solid launch vehiclethat can carry a payload weighing 500 kilograms to the polar orbit, 500 kilometers above Earth's surface and a 300-kilogram payload into Sun Synchronous Polar Orbit. It has the capability to support multiple orbital drop-offs. The SSLV is the smallest vehicle at 110-ton mass at ISRO. It can carry satellites weighing up to 500 kg to a low earth orbit while the tried and tested PSLV can launch satellites weighing in the range of 1000 kg.