In a significant achievement, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the third developmental flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on Friday, August 16. This mission marked a crucial milestone as it successfully placed the EOS-08 and SR-08 satellites into orbit. Following the successful satellite injection, ISRO Chairman S Somanath declared the SSLV development process complete, stating, “Everything is perfect.”
A Momentous Achievement
The third developmental flight, designated SSLV-D3/EOS-08, accomplished its mission with precision. ISRO Chief Somanath confirmed that the rocket placed the satellites into the exact orbit as planned without any deviations in the injection conditions. He stated, “The final orbit will be known after tracking, but the current indication is that everything is perfect. The EOS-08 satellite, as well as SR-08 satellite, has been injected successfully after manoeuvres. Congratulations to the SSLV-D3 team and the project team.”
Completion of SSLV Development
With this successful launch, ISRO has completed the development of the SSLV, a small-lift launch vehicle capable of carrying satellites weighing up to 500 kg and placing them in Low Earth Orbit (up to 500 km above Earth). Chairman Somanath announced, “With this third developmental flight of SSLV, we can declare the development process of SSLV is completed.” This achievement opens new avenues for Indian industries to use this rocket for future missions, supported by NewSpace India Limited, a government-owned company.
Praises and Future Prospects
Union Minister of State for Science & Technology Jitendra Singh lauded the ISRO team for the successful launch. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Singh said, “Kudos team ISRO for the successful launch of SSLV-D3/EOS-08 Mission. With the personal intervention and patronage provided by PM Narendra Modi, Team ISRO has been able to achieve one success after another in a serial manner.”
ISRO’s Upcoming Missions
With the successful SSLV-D3/EOS-08 launch, ISRO has achieved a hat-trick of consecutive successful missions this year. Earlier, the space agency launched the PSLV-C58/XpoSat mission in January and the GSLV-F14/INSAT-3DS mission in February.
Looking ahead, ISRO’s upcoming missions include the NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR), a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) observatory developed in collaboration with NASA. Another significant mission is Gaganyaan, which aims to demonstrate human spaceflight by sending a crew of three to a 400 km orbit for a three-day mission and safely returning them to Earth. The launch dates for these missions have yet to be announced.
The most anticipated event this year is Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla’s historic flight to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission. Shukla will be the first Indian astronaut to make this journey, alongside two other astronauts.
Summing Up
The successful launch of the EOS-08 satellite and the completion of the SSLV development underscore ISRO’s growing capabilities and ambitious future. With continued support from the government and collaboration with international space agencies, ISRO is poised to achieve even greater milestones, contributing to India’s position as a leader in space exploration and technology.