ISRO launches two Singaporean satellites for Earth observation
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Bengaluru: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday launched the PSLV-C55 and two Singaporean satellites for Earth observation into orbit. The launch was completed at 14.19 hours IST.
ISRO chief S Somanath said, "This was a mission towards the east direction. and the inclination is 9.9 degrees, very precise. PSLV in its 57th flight has once again demonstrated its high reliability and suitability for the commercial missions of this class." The launch took place at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. "Congratulations PSLV-C55/TeLEOS-2 Mission - the PSLV has placed both satellites in the intended orbit," he added.
Speaking about the mission, he further said that it is the fifth launch in this edition. "This rocket launch is being carried out with eight small payloads and we have prayed for the success of this launch."
The launch is crucial for the Indian space startup ecosystem (NewSpace India Limited) because the commercial rocket carried two Singapore satellites as main payloads along with the seven non-separating payloads belonging to ISRO, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, and startups Bellatrix and Dhruva Space.
It was conducted through NSIL with TeLEOS-2 as the primary satellite and Lumelite-4 as a co-passenger satellite. Both weigh about 741 kg and 16 kg. "They are intended to be launched into an Eastward low inclination orbit."
The TeLEOS-2 is developed as a collaboration of DSTA (representing the Government of Singapore) and ST Engineering. It will be used to support the satellite imagery requirements of various agencies within the Government of Singapore. It can provide all-weather day and night coverage.
The LUMELITE-4 satellite is developed by the Institute for Infocomm Research of A*STAR and the Satellite Technology and Research Centre (STAR) of the National University of Singapore. It is for the technological demonstration of the High-Performance Space-borne VHF Data Exchange System (VDES). It is aimed at augmenting Singapore's e-navigation maritime safety and benefitting the global shipping community.