ISRO launched imaging satellite Microsat-R and Kalamsat, a small communication satellite developed by students and Space Kidz India, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota at 11:37 pm on January 24
The two satellites were carried by a new variant of India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket : PSLV-C44
After PSLV-C44 launches the two satellites, its fourth stage will be converted into a platform for experiments in space.
With this uniqueness, PSLV-C44 mission will become the first in the world to use the rocket for a space experiment platform
Not much is known about the 740-kg satellite called Microsat-R as it is for military use. The imaging satellite, which will capture the required, high-resolution images for the defence organisation, will be placed within 15 minutes after take-off in a polar orbit 274 km away from Earth, ISRO said . The satellite has been developed by DRDO
According to the mission launch brochure, Kalamsat, is a communication satellite with a life span of two months. The satellite, which costs about Rs 12 lakh, is the world’s lightest and first ever 3D-printed satellite.
Kalamsat will also be the first to use the launch vehicle’s fourth stage (PS4) as an orbital platform. The nanosatellite, named after former Indian President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, was built by an Indian high school student team led by Rifath Sharook, an 18-year-old from the Tamil Nadu town of Pallapatti
