Telangana girls part of SSLV-D2 launch

The launch of the micro-satellite marked the first of its kind space mission with an ‘All women concept’.

Hyderabad: It was a remarkable day for both girl power and science as several girl students from Telangana left their mark in space and time on Friday.

As many as 40 girls from four schools in the State watched and cheered the launch of India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle, SSLV-D2, from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) carrying their co-satellite ‘AzaadiSAT-2’ onboard.

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Students from the educational institutions including, Hyderabad’s St Francis Girls High School and GHS Vengalraonagar, along with Zilla Parishad HighSchools at Gurjakunta and Armoor, were among the 75 schools from across the country that built the 8.7 kg satellite.

The launch of the micro-satellite marked the first of its kind space mission with an ‘All women concept’.

The project was piloted by Chennai-based Space Kidz India (SKI), the first ambassador of NASA Space Camps from India. From 75 government schools across India, 10 students from each school were picked to develop the satellite. The selected students were predominantly from classes 8th -12th and have designed and built the satellite in only 30 days.

According to Space Kidz, the main objectives of launching ‘AzaadiSAT-2’ include demonstrating the Long Range and Amateur Radio communication capabilities, measuring the radiation levels in space using the new solid-state sensor, health data like temperature, reset count, and others.

The other two satellites include EOS-07, the main satellite which weighs 156.3 kg, and Janus-1, a 10.2 kg co-satellite, which belongs to the US-based firm Antaris. The SSLV-D2 has placed three satellites into a 450 km circular orbit during its 15-minute flight. The vehicle was launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.