SCATSAT-1

•  ISRO has successfully launched PSLV’s longest flight SCATSAT-1 for ocean and weather studies.
• The 320-tonne rocket, carrying eight satellites, blasted off from the launch pad at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
• This launch is said to be ISRO’s longest mission spread over two hours and fifteen minutes.
• SCATSAT-1, which will provide weather forecast including cyclone detection and tracking, will succeed the now defunct Oceansat-2 satellite launched in 2009. SCATSAT-1 would be a stop gap arrangement between Oceansat-1 and Oceansat-2.

About this mission:

• It was the thirty seventh flight of ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.
• PSLV-C35 is the first PSLV mission to launch satellites carried on board into two different orbits.
• This mission was carrying seven satellites. Of the seven co-passenger satellites carried by PSLV-C35, two – PRATHAM weighing 10 kg and PISAT weighing 5.25 kg – are University/Academic institute satellites and were built with the involvement of students from IIT-Bombay and PES University, Bangalore and its consortium, respectively.
• The remaining five co-passenger satellites were international customer satellites from Algeria (three – ALSAT-1B, ALSAT-2B and ALSAT-1N), Canada (one- NLS-19) and the United States (one – Pathfinder-1).
• The challenge in the launch was igniting and shutting down the fourth-stage engine, called multiple burn technology, twice within a short span of time in a cold and low-gravity environment and letting it coast further. ISRO demonstrated the technology in its two previous PSLV launches - PSLV-C34 in June 2016 and PSLV-C29 in December 2015. But the trickiest part was to cool down the engine between two restarts and protect the rocket and satellites from the heat generated when the engine is operational.
• Mastering the technology meant that ISRO can accommodate satellites meant for different orbits in a single rocket thereby saving costs. Earlier, they had to build separate rockets to be flown to different orbits.

Analysis:

• Over the years, the satellite launch industry has grown more competitive. European Space Agency has taken huge strides and so has the Japanese JAXA. French-based Arianespace commands over 50 per cent of the satellite launch market and Elon Musk’s SpaceX, with its reusable Falcon launch vehicles, has tremendously changed the price parameter in the launch market.
• Now, double orbit deployment capability of ISRO reduces the cost of satellite deployment as it will remove the requirement of two separate launch operations. So profit increases with a boost in business and price-efficient operation.
• ISRO draws majority of its revenues from satellite launch services by its commercial arm– Antrix Corporation. To reclaim lost ground, ISRO has to reinvent itself regularly. Over the years, it has decreased the per kg payload launch prices and has forayed into the development of reusable launch vehicles. Its amazingly successful PSLV vehicle boasts a safe launch record that acts as an effective and luring selling proposition.
• Space technology is the next step in providing multiple services to governments, companies and the people as well. Globally, space has been a fiercely competitive arena. The range of satellite uses now include weather monitoring, disaster alert, remote sensing to seek out mineral resources, surveillance, communication, exploration, specialised satellites for telemedicine, rural education, internet connectivity and countless other uses. Countries and companies both now look to space to develop a new range of services and tap on space as a more efficient channel for their operations.

By: Vishal