On April 22, 2023 (Today), the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) PSLV-C55 mission, carrying two Singaporean satellites. The mission took off from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, using the spent PS4. This marks ISRO’s third launch of the year, and it is a dedicated commercial PSLV mission operated by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) for a Singapore-based international satellite customer.

Primary Satellite: TeLEOS-2

The primary satellite for this mission is TeLEOS-2, a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite developed in collaboration between ST Engineering and DSTA, two Singaporean government organizations. The satellite is designed to meet the satellite imagery requirements of various agencies within the Government of Singapore. Once functional, TeLEOS-2 will be able to image at 1m full-polarimetric resolution, covering all weather conditions, day and night.

Co-Passenger Satellite: Lumelite-4

Lumelite-4 is a cutting-edge 12U technology demonstration nanosatellite developed by the National University of Singapore’s Satellite Technology and Research Centre (STAR) and A*STAR’s Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R). It aims to improve Singapore’s e-navigation maritime safety and benefit the global shipping community by utilizing the VDES communication payload developed by I2R and STAR’s scalable satellite bus platform. The satellite will serve as a co-passenger satellite for the PSLV-C55 mission.

PSLV-CA Configuration

This is PSLV’s 16th mission in the PSLV Core Alone configuration (PSLV-CA), marking its 57th flight. The mission will carry out experiments using the spent PS4 stage as a platform for experiments following satellite separations. Payloads that cannot be separated will be mounted on the MSA (multi-satellite adapter). All payloads will be turned on by order after all satellites are isolated. The stage will have a solar-powered charger mounted around the PS4 tank, which will be deployed after confirmation of the stage achieving balance.

Experimental Non-Detachable Payloads

As part of Sonnet 2 (PSLV Orbital Trial Module), there are seven experimental non-detachable payloads. These include IIST’s OBC package for PiLOT (PSLV In orbital Obc and Thermals); IIST’s ARIS-2 experiment, which stands for Advanced Retarding Potential Analyzer for Ionospheric Studies; Bellatrix’s HET-based ARKA200 Electric Propulsion System; Dhruva Space’s DSOD-3U and DSOD-6U deployer units and DSOL-Transceiver in the S and X bands; and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics’ Starberry Sense Payload.

Future Plans

ISRO Administrator S. Somnath expressed his congratulations to PSLV and NSIL for the successful send-off of the PSLV-C55 mission. He also hinted that “fascinating things” are in store for the future. ISRO continues to push the boundaries of space exploration, and its successful launches prove its capability in the field.