ISRO successfully conducts ‘Reusable Launch Vehicle’ test: Basics Explained
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted the Reusable Launch Vehicle Autonomous Landing Mission (RLV LEX) from the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) in Karnataka’s Chitradurgaor space planes/shuttles, which can travel to low earth orbits to deliver payloads and return to earth for use again. a reusable launch vehicle is considered a low-cost, reliable, and on-demand mode of accessing space.
LEARNING FROM HOME/ WITHOUT CLASSES/BASICS
The SSLV is intended to cater to a market for the launch of small satellites into low earth orbits which has emerged in recent years on account of the need for developing countries, private corporations and universities for small satellites. The SSLV can carry satellites weighing up to 500 kg to a low earth orbit.
SSLV is capable of launching Mini, Micro, or Nanosatellites (10 to 500 kg mass) to a 500 km planar orbit. SSLV provides low-cost access to Space on demand basis. It offers low turn-around time, flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites, launch-on-demand feasibility, minimal launch infrastructure requirements, etc.
SSLV is configured with three solid stages, liquid propulsion-based Velocity Trimming Module as a terminal stage.
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV is capable of launching 1600 kg satellites in 620 km sun-synchronous polar orbit and 1050 kg satellite in geo-synchronous transfer orbit.
In the standard configuration, it measures 44.4 m tall, with a lift off weight of 295 tonnes. PSLV has four stages using solid and liquid propulsion systems alternately. The first stage is one of the largest solid propellant boosters in the world and carries 139 tonnes of propellant. A cluster of six strap-on is attached to the first stage motor.
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle was primarily developed to launch INSAT class of satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbits. GSLV is a three stage launcher that uses one solid rocket motor stage, one Earth storable liquid stage and one cryogenic stage.
ISRO:
It was established with it’s headquarter at Bangalore in 1969. It functions under overall control of department of space.
ORBITS
Different orbits serve different purposes. An orbit is a curved path of
a celestial object around another celestial object due to the force of gravity.
Orbits are everywhere in our universe. The Moon orbits the Earth, and the Earth
orbits the Sun, and the Sun orbits around the center of the galaxy.
The near polar orbits have an inclination near 90 degrees.
This allows the satellite to see virtually every part of the Earth as the Earth rotates
underneath it.
Sun-Synchronous orbit;
the satellite travels from the north to the south poles as the Earth turns below it. the satellite passes over the same part of the Earth at roughly the same local time each day. These orbits allows a satellite to pass over a section of the Earth at the same time of day.
These satellites orbit at an altitude between 700 to 800 km. These orbits
are used for satellites that need a constant amount of sunlight. Satellites
that take pictures of the Earth would work best with bright sunlight, while satellites
that measure longwave radiation would work best in complete darkness. When a
satellite has a sun-synchronous orbit, it means that it has a constant sun
illumination through inclination and altitude.
For sun-synchronous orbits, it passes over any given point on Earth’s surface at
the same local solar time.
A geosynchronous orbit is an orbit around the Earth, where the object orbits once per day. A common kind of geosynchronous orbit is called a geostationary orbit, where the object orbits above the same part of the Earth at all times. Geostationary satellites
are launched into orbit in the same direction the Earth is spinning.
When the satellite is in orbit at a specific altitude, it will exactly match the rotation of the Earth. The Earth actually takes 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.09 seconds to make one full revolution. So this would put the satellite at approximately 35,790 km above the Earth.
This is an extremely useful type of orbit and is used for anything where a satellite
needs to send or receive signals from the same part of the Earth all the time.
It’s used for cell phone satellites, television satellites, weather satellites,
as well as some military satellites.
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