BENGALURU: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to launch its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C54 on Saturday. The launch will take place at ISRO’s Sriharikota-based Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at 11.56 am on November 26. The launch vehicle is scheduled to carry ISRO’s Oceansat-3 alongside eight other nano satellites. This will be the last launch of PSLV in 2022, having completed two missions previously in February and June this year. In all, it will be the rocket’s 56th mission.
Pixxel satellite to sharpen imaging
Bengaluru-based startup Pixxel is set to launch its satellite, Anand, on Saturday on the PSLV-C54. Pixxel CEO Awais Ahmed told TNIE that Anand will be the last of its demo satellites, before the company moves to launching its planned 24-satellite constellation.
“The reason for Pixxel was to improve on existing sources of satellite imagery available commercially. Existing satellite imagery is unable to properly assess various problems. In agriculture, satellite imagery is used to assess the status of crops, but there is a need for more details, specifically on soil quality, nutrient contents and extent of irrigation, which is not available,” he told TNIE.
He said the constellation would help achieve this, as the company has worked towards upscaling existing hyperspectral imaging, which is currently used in different areas to detect objects and identify processes for use in satellites. “Regular hyperspectral imaging from space is not really available in a commercial setting, so we decided to build our own constellation of satellites to aid in earth observation, as current technology needed an upgrade,” he said.
The first six satellites are scheduled to launch next year, aiding several organisations and companies in procuring data in the fields of agriculture, oil and gas, and mining. “Currently, this is mainly to help in the agricultural sector, so we want to be able to detect any methane or sulphur leaks as part of gas pipelines, or any disturbances due to mining. However, the satellites can be used for various purposes, which we will expand to later on,” he said.
Anand being the first of its satellites to launch on Indian soil, he said ISRO’s support towards the company as well as logistical aid made it easier to launch from SDSC. “It is fairly convenient to launch the satellites as we’re based out of Bengaluru and it’s a six-hour journey to the centre. However, in terms of negatives, policy changes need to be made so that interdepartmental cooperation is easier. Procuring permissions and approvals from various departments to launch the satellite was a hassle,” he said.