ISRO’s 100th Launch Milestone

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) oversee the historic 100th launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota with the GSLV-F15 mission.

GSLV-F15 Mission

• Date
  • The launch date has been set on 29th of January at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
• Vehicle
  • It will utilize a GSLV F15 and is well provided with an indigeneous cryogenic stage for the same mission.
• Objective
  • To place the NVS02 satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).

Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO)

A GTO is an elliptical orbit through which the satellite passes from geosynchronous transfer orbit into the geosynchronous orbit.

• How it Works?
  • Satellites are placed in GTO for intermediary purposes towards the GSO. The GTO orbit has both apogee, which is a point distant from Earth and a perigee as the nearest to Earth.
  • At apogee, the satellite will rotate parallel to Earth’s equator and will fire its rocket engine to reach a circular orbit.
• Why it is Used?
  • The manufacturers of launch vehicles tend to boast of how much payload they can put into a GTO.
  • Satellites in geosynchronous orbits are helpful in communications as they can cover large portions of Earth.
• Related Missions
  • GTOSat: A mission that investigates acceleration and loss mechanisms of relativistic electrons in the Earth’s outer radiation belts.

About the NVS02 Satellite

• Purpose
  • NVS02 is part of the Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) system.
• Series
  • This satellite is the second in the NVS series designed to enhance India;s regional navigation capabilities.
• Improve Features
  • It is one of the five follow on second generation NavIC satellites NVS01 to NVS05 dedicated toward improving and ensuring continuity of navigation services

NavIC Indias Regional Navigation Satellite System

• Service
  • Provides accurate Position Velocity and Timing (PVT) services.
• Covers
  • India and an area of about 1500 km beyond the Indian landmass.
• Services
  • Standard Positioning Service (SPS)
    • Provides position accuracy better than 20 meters and timing accuracy better than 40 nanoseconds.
  • Restricted Service (RS)
    • More security and encryption is provided along with the navigation service to the authorized users.

Importance of the Mission

• Milestone
  • It marks ISROs 100th launch from the Sriharikota spaceport that reflects decades of achievements in space travel.
• Strategic Advantage
  • The NavIC system will further the self reliance of India in navigation technology not relying on other foreign systems such as GPS.
• Continuity of Service
  • It enhances the NavIC constellation to provide uninterrupted navigation services to users in India and the neighboring regions.

Proba-3 Mission