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03 March 2021
Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) today successfully launched Amazonia-1, a Brazilian satellite for earth observation, and 18 other small satellites, in what is termed as the state-run space agency’s first dedicated commercial mission.
Isro’s workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV C-51 lifted off from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota, as planned, at 10:24 hours (IST). After a flight of about 17 minutes 23 seconds, the vehicle injected Amazonia-1 into its intended orbit and in the succeeding 1 hour 38 minutes, all the 18 co-passenger satellites successfully separated from the PSLV in a predetermined sequence.
03/01/2021 1 Minute Read
On February 27, India along with the United States launched a Brazilian Earth observation satellite along with 18 passenger satellites. Indian Space and Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) carrying Amazonia-1 and 18 smaller satellites into space using a ‘DL’ variant that has two strap-on boosters.
After the launch, ISRO Chairman K. Sivan said, “The satellite is in very good health. The solar panels have deployed and it is functioning very nicely.”
Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) said in its description that Amazonia-1 is optimized to peer at the cloud-covered region of its namesake, the Amazon forest, since it has infrared capabilities that allow it to look at the forest cover regardless of the weather. Brazil plans to use the satellite for ‘alert deforestation’ in the region.
NEW DELHI: In its first mission of 2021, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will launch Brazilian satellite Amazonia-1 as main payload and 20 other satellites from Sriharikota at 10.23 am on February 28. The launch of PSLV-C51 is the first dedicated commercial mission of NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), a PSU under the Department of Space.
The 20 co-passenger satellites include one nano satellite (INS-2TD) from Isro, four commercial satellites booked via recently-formed space facilitator Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and 15 satellites commercially arranged by NSIL itself.
The four satellites being launched via IN-SPACe are three UNITYsats from a consortium of three Indian academic institutes and one Satish Dhawan satellite from startup Space Kidz India. Space Kidz India said Satish Dhawan satellite, named after former Isro chairman Satish Dhawan, is aimed at studying space radiation and magnetosphere. This will be their second satellite