ISRO SSLV rocket to launch EOS 8 satellite and space rickshaw on 16th August

ISRO EOS-8 Satellite Launch: An important launch of ISRO is going to happen on August 16, a day after India’s Independence Day. A small rocket of ISRO, also called a baby rocket, will fly carrying an Earth imaging satellite named EOS-8. Along with this, a demo set named SR-0 will also be taken to space. The full name of SR-0 is Space Rickshaw. It has been developed by a Chennai-based startup. EOS-8 and SR-0 will be launched from the launch center located in Sriharikota.

This launch is special because India is going to rely on a small rocket and use it for launch. The actual name of the baby rocket is Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV). According to a report by NDTV, Dr. M. Shankaran, Director of UR Rao Satellite Center (URSC), said that EOS-8 is a satellite in which future technologies have been installed. The total weight of the satellite is 175 kg.

SSLV had failed in 2022

The first flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) failed in the year 2022. Its second flight on 10 February 2023 was successful next year. ISRO believes that after the third flight, the technology for SSLV can be transferred to the industry.

🚀SSLV-D3/EOS-08🛰️ Mission:

The launch of the third developmental flight of SSLV is scheduled for August 16, 2024, in a launch window of one hour starting at 09:17 Hrs. ist pic.twitter.com/JWxq9X6rjk

— ISRO (@isro) August 12, 2024

The satellite named Space Rickshaw which this rocket will carry weighs only half a kilogram.

SSLV Rocket Features

The market for satellite launch is growing rapidly. ISRO has designed SSLV keeping in mind the needs of the market. This rocket is 34 meters tall and weighs 120 tonnes. It can carry a satellite weighing 500 kg in low-earth orbit about 350-400 kilometres above the earth. If we compare it with India’s heaviest rocket GSLV Mk 3, its weight is 640 tonnes. It took more than 7 years to build SSLV and it cost about Rs 170 crore.