S. Somanath, chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is a bold man and if he is disappointed that ISRO’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), in its debut mission from Sriharikota on August 7, put the Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-2) and students’ AzaadiSAT in the wrong orbit, he does not show it. ISRO said the SSLV put the satellites into a 356 km X 76 km elliptical orbit instead of a 356-km circular orbit. “Satellites are no longer usable. Issue is reasonably identified. Failure of a logic to identify a sensor failure and go for salvage action caused the deviation”, ISRO explained.
The SSLV is a three-stage rocket and all its stages are powered by solid propellants. It is designed to put a 500-kg satellite into orbit.
Editorial | Space to learn: On the failure of ISRO’s maiden small satellite launch vehicle mission