ISRO declares the transition of SSLV to the commercial sector

In response to the rising demand for tiny satellites, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Monday that it will transfer ownership of its tiny Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) to the private sector.

With two development flights under its belt, the SSLV aims to provide on-demand services to launch satellites up to 500 kg into low-Earth orbit.

At the India Space Congress’ opening ceremony, which was put on by SIA India, ISRO Chairman S. Somanath said, “We have built our own SSLV, which will be transferred to the industry and produced in large numbers to meet the growing demand.”

According to a senior official, the space agency has chosen to use the bidding process to transfer the mini-rocket to the sector.

The SSLV, the sixth launch vehicle created by ISRO, has completed two test flights in February and August of this year.

The SSLV’s first flight in August of last year was unsuccessful as a result of vibration disturbance that occurred briefly on the Equipment Bay deck during the second-stage separation.

After thoroughly examining the issue, the ISRO took remedial steps and successfully launched the SSLV in February.

The SSLV placed the EOS-07 satellite of the ISRO, Janus-1 of the US company Antaris, and AzaadiSAT-2 of Chennai-based Space Kidz in a 450-km circular orbit.

Nano and micro-satellites, which weigh less than 10 kg and 100 kg, respectively, are the goal of small rockets like the SSLV, which provide on-demand launch services without forcing customers to wait for bigger rockets to transport them as co-passengers.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLVs), the ISRO’s workhorse rocket with 54 successful launches, will be built by a collaboration made up of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Larsen & Toubro.

According to a recent research by the Indian Space Association and consulting company EY India, the domestic space sector in India might generate $13 billion in economic output by 2025 thanks to commercial satellite launch services.

After the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), Advanced Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV), Satellite Launch Vehicle-3 (SLV-3), and Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM-3), the SSLV was the sixth launch vehicle created by the ISRO. Since then, both the SLV-3 and the ASLV have been decommissioned.