spacetoday.net: SSLV reaches orbit on second launch

SSLV reaches orbit on second launch

Posted: Sat, Feb 11, 2023, 8:18 AM ET (1318 GMT)
SSLV liftoff on second mission (ISRO)

India's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) reached orbit on its second launch Thursday night. The rocket lifted off at 10:48 pm EST (0348 GMT Friday) carrying the EOS-07 Earth observation satellite and two cubesat secondary payloads. The Indian space agency ISRO declared the launch a success, placing the satellites into orbit at an altitude of 450 kilometers. The first SSLV launch last August failed when the shock of stage separation for the rocket's second stage saturated accelerometers in the vehicle's guidance system, triggering a "salvage mode" that resulted in the rocket placing its payload in an unsustainably low orbit.