BENGALURU: Isro Wednesday said the third and final demonstration flight of its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle ( SSLV ) is scheduled for 9.17am on Aug 15. The rocket will launch Isro’s latest Earth Observation Satellite (EOS-08).
From environmental monitoring to disaster management and technological demonstrations, EOS-08 , weighing approximately 175.5kg, is set to contribute valuable data and insights to various scientific and practical fields. Isro plans to handover SSLV to the private sector for production once it proves its capability through the demonstration flights.
In July last year, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) had even issued an expression of interest (EoI) for transfer of technology (ToT) of SSLV to Indian private players. The EOS-08, Isro said: “Boasts three state-of-the-art payloads: an Electro Optical Infrared Payload (EOIR), a Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry payload (GNSS-R), and a SiC UV Dosimeter,” Isro said. The EOIR payload is designed to capture both day and night images in Mid-Wave IR and Long-Wave IR bands, enabling applications ranging from disaster monitoring to fire detection and volcanic activity observation.
The GNSS-R payload demonstrates innovative remote sensing capabilities for ocean surface wind analysis, soil moisture assessment, and flood detection. The SiC UV Dosimeter will play a crucial role in monitoring UV irradiance for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission, India’s first crewe.