ISRO launched three Singaporean satellites

Tags: Science and Technology

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 30 June successfully launched three Singaporean satellites in a commercial mission of the New Space India Limited. 

• It was launched in precise orbit through the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module or ‘POEM’.

• This was the second launch of the year by ISRO, which put the Indian earth observation satellite into orbit in February.

• What are the three Singaporean satellites? 

1. DS-EO, a Singaporean Earth Observation Satellite

2. NeuSAR, Singapore’s first small commercial satellite carrying a SAR (Search and Rescue) payload

3. SCOOB-I satellite from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) 

• What is POEM?

• It is a platform that will help perform in-orbit experiments using the final or discarded, stage of ISRO’s workhorse rocket, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

• The PSLV is a four-stage rocket where the first three stages fall back into the ocean, and the final stage (PS4) — after launching the satellite into orbit — ends up as space junk.

• In PSLV-C53 mission, the final stage will be utilised as a “stabilised platform” to perform experiments.

• POEM is carrying six payloads, including two from Indian space startup Digantara and Dhruv Space.

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

• ISRO was set up on 15 August 1969

• Chairman of ISRO: S Somnath 

• Headquarters of ISRO : Bengaluru, Karnataka

• Space Station from where ISRO launches rockets 

• Satish  Dhawan  Space  Centre  (SDSC)  SHAR,  Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh