Isro to launch AzaadiSat satellite built by 750 school girls next week

Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will launch a satellite built by 750 school girls next month onboard the maiden flight of its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV). The satellite launch is part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, to mark the 75th anniversary of Independence.

The satellite is built by 750 girl students of 75 schools across India . The eight-kg satellite has 75 Femto experiments, selfie cameras to click pictures of its own solar panels and long-range communication transponders. The mission life of the satellite is six months.

Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (INSPACe), in a tweet, said 750 girl students from 75 schools across India will be "cheerfully looking at the maiden launch of India's latest launch vehicle SSLV, as it carries their AzaadiSat onboard as a co-passenger".


https://mobile.twitter.com/INSPACeIND/status/1552888463225065472

"This is the first of its kind space mission with an all-women concept to promote women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) as this year's UN theme is 'Women in Space'," news agency PTI quoted Rifath Sharook, Chief Technology Officer, at Space Kidz India, which has developed the satellite.

https://mobile.twitter.com/INSPACeIND/status/1552888751340195840

Isro has developed the SSLV launch vehicle to put in low earth orbit satellites weighing less than 500 kg.

According to ISRO, an SSLV rocket can be manufactured within a week.