AzaadiSat built by girl students to reach orbit on ISRO's SSLV: 5 things to know
- AzaadiSAT has 75 Femto experiments, selfie cameras to click pictures of its own solar panels and long-range communication transponders.
As part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, an 8-kg satellite built by 750 girl students from 75 schools across India will be launched into space in the latest Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota on August 7. Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (INSPACe) said in a tweet that the girl students involved in the development of the satellite will be "cheerfully looking at the maiden launch of India's latest launch vehicle SSLV, as it carries their AzaadiSat onboard as a co-passenger". The Indian Space Research Organisation has invited the common public to the viewing gallery of SDSC in Sriharikota to witness the launch of SLV-D1 Mission, scheduled for Sunday.
5 things you need to know about the launch:
AzaadiSAT has 75 Femto experiments, selfie cameras to click pictures of its own solar panels and long-range communication transponders. The first of its kind space mission with an all-women concept.
Rifath Sharook, Chief Technology Officer, at Space Kidz India, which has developed the satellite, told news agency PTI that the mission is meant to promote women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) as this year’s UN theme is 'Women in Space'.
The SSLV, weighing less than 500 kg, will be deployed in low earth orbit satellites. SSLVs are much in demand for applications such as earth observation and providing internet connectivity in remote areas.
The primary payload of the first demonstration flight of SSLV is an earth observation satellite MicroSat 2A.
All the propulsion parameters during the ground testing of the newly developed solid booster stage (SS1) for the SSLV were found satisfactory and closely matching with the predictions.
