ISRO to launch rocket SSLV-D2 today: 5 things you need to know

The newly developed SSLV has been introduced to cater to the small satellite launch market. It has been developed with the sole purpose of launching small satellites, as the name suggests, and freeing up the massively used Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) for bigger missions to space.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will on Friday (February 10) launch the second edition of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D2) from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh at 9:18am. 

The new rocket will put as many as three satellites - ISRO's EOS-07, US-based firm Antaris' Janus-1, and Chennai-based space startup SpaceKidz's AzaadiSAT-2 - into a 450 km circular orbit during its 15-minute flight.

The newly developed SSLV has been introduced to cater to the small satellite launch market. It has been developed with the sole purpose of launching small satellites, as the name suggests, and freeing up the massively used Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) for bigger missions to space.

Here are five things you need to know about SSLV-D2 and its launch:

1. The SSLV caters to the launch of up to 500 kg satellites to low earth orbits on a 'launch-on-demand' basis. The rocket provides low-cost access to space, offers low turn-around time and flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites.

2. According to ISRO, the SSLV is a 34 m tall, 2 m diameter vehicle having a lift-off mass of 120 tonnes.

3. The rocket is configured with three solid propulsion stages and a velocity terminal module.

4. EOS-07 is a 156.3 kg satellite which has been designed, developed and released by ISRO.

5. On August 9, 2022, the first test flight of SSLV ended in partial failure after the upper stage of the launch vehicle injected the satellite into a highly elliptical unstable orbit due to a shortfall in velocity.