Thursday, October 08, 2020

ISRO's 1-Shot, 64 Satellite Launch SSLV Getting Ready For Maiden Mission [Image Of The Day]

The long-held title, 'The Workhorse of ISRO', could soon be taken over by this upcoming Satellite Launcher, soon to make it's debut.

ISRO is gearing itself to meet the demands of the burgeoning Pico/Nano/Microsatellite launch market. The Satish Dhawan Space Centre [SHAR] is, presently, readying the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle [SSLV] for it's first flight, scheduled before 2020 ends.

Earlier Today: First Picture Of The Rustom-H UAV, Integrated With It's EO System & SATCOM Link [Image Of The Day]

Small Satellite Launch Vehicle - SSLV - ISRO - 01

Some interesting photos of the preparation, it shared recently. With it's 0.5 MT payload capacity to the Low Earth Orbit [LEO], it is capable of injecting 64 numbers of 2U-sized CubeSats-class Nanosatellites into the orbit, carrying them with the help of a Multi Satellite Adapter [MSA]. ISRO's 142 kg Microsat 2A is to be the main passenger of the maiden SSLV launch.

The Solid Stage 1 [SS-1], in the picture, is the first stage of the all-Solid Stages, 3-Stage Launch Vehicle#. Combustion of Solid fuels can not be regulated or stopped, once initiated. They are, therefore, filled up in such a shape that, at a given point of time, there is only so much combustion front available, as needed to propel the Launcher, at that point in the Launch Vehicle's trajectory. This arrangement of fuel layout is called Propellant Grain Configuration, performed by Casting the fuel slurry into the Stage Motor Body. At SHAR, it is carried out at the Solid Propellant Plant [SPP].

Small Satellite Launch Vehicle - SSLV - ISRO - 02

The first Stage is made up of 3 major sub-components - the Head End Segment [HES], Middle Segment [MS] & the Nozzle End Segment [NES].


The final picture shows the SSLV's Stage Separation & Self-destruct mechanisms undergoing vibration test, to evaluate whether they could hold up to the rigours of Space flight.

Small Satellite Launch Vehicle - SSLV - ISRO - 03

While this launch, it would execute from it's existing Shriharikota Launch Pad, ISRO has earmarked a place in the Thoothukudi district, for it's SSLV-specific launches, that it plans to launch with greater frequency, to meet demands.

As great as it's numerous successful flights would be, the real cost-effective solution would it's re-usable Vertical Take-off Vertical Landing [VTVL] launcher. The ADMIRE concept, it unveiled sometime back, points towards work in that direction. Quite some time away - Unit of measurement: Decade. Till then, the SSLV.

# - Not counting the small liquid Velocity Trim Module for Attitude control during satellite release

Godspeed

Also Read: That Chinese Satellite The PSLV-C37 Launched