PSLV-C56: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch seven Singaporean satellites into space on July 30, 2023, as part of the PSLV-C56 mission, also known as the DS-SAR mission. This is the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle's (PSLV's) second mission this year. PSLV-C56 will launch the payloads from First Launch Pad, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, at 6:30 pm IST on July 30. The mission will be launched in collaboration with New Space India Limited (NSIL). 


PSLV-C56 is ISRO’s 90th space mission.


DS-SAR is a 360-kilogram satellite developed through a partnership between the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), an agency under the Government of Singapore, and ST Engineering, a Singaporean engineering and technology group. Six co-passenger satellites will be launched atop PSLV-C56. These are: Velox-AM, ARCADE, SCOOB-II, NuLIoN, Galassia-2, and ORB-12 Strider, ISRO said in a mission update. ARCADE stands for Atmospheric Coupling and Dynamics Explorer. 


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Velox-AM, ARCADE, and SCOOB-II have been developed by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; NuLIoN has been developed by NuSpace, an aerospace company in Singapore; Galassia-2 is developed by the National University of Singapore; and ORB-12 Strider is developed by Aliena, a space-tech company in Singapore. 


PSLV-C56 will place DS-SAR into a near-equatorial orbit at an altitude of 535 kilometres, and an inclination of five degrees. DS-SAR consists of a synthetic aperture radar payload developed by Israel Aerospace Industries. The function of the synthetic aperture radar is to monitor the weather the entire day, and capture images at one-metre resolution. These satellite images will serve the purposes of different agencies within the Government of Singapore. Meanwhile, ST Engineering will use the DS-SAR satellite to provide geospatial services to commercial customers.


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According to ISRO, Velox-AM is a 23-kilogram microsatellite which will be launched with the purpose of technology demonstration; ARCADE is an experimental satellite; SCOOB-II is a nanosatellite and will be used for technology demonstration; NuLIoN is an advanced nanosatellite that will enable seamless "Internet of Things" connectivity in urban and remote locations; Galassia-2 is a nanosatellite that will orbit Earth at low-Earth orbit; and ORB-12 Strider is a satellite developed as part of an international collaboration. 


People who wish to witness the launch from the Launch View Gallery at Satish Dhawan Space Centre can register themselves at https://lvg.shar.gov.in/VSCREGISTRATION/index.jsp. 


The registration will begin at 6 pm IST on Monday, July 24, 2023.