Kalamsat, the student payload, is developed by Chennai-based organisation Space Kidz India.
In a first-of-its-kind mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Thursday transformed the spent fourth stage of PSLV-C44 rocket as an orbital platform for Kalamsat, a nano satellite developed by students.
It is the first time that a space agency moved the fourth stage of the PSLV C44 rocket to higher circular orbit so as to establish an orbital platform for carrying out experiments — by launching the student payload Kalamsat.
PSLV-C44 rocket was launched from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota, with the payloads of Defence Research and Development Organisations (DRDO)'s Mircosat-R, an imaging satellite and Kalamsat on Thursday night at 11.37 pm.
"After the satellite is separated, the fourth stage (PS4) will be kept on and it will be re-used as an orbital platform for students' satellite," ISRO chairman K Sivan said.
In a normal launch, the fourth or final stage of the rocket will be cut-off after releasing the payload.
It will wander around in space as debris. "The indigenous lithium-ion battery will keep the fourth stage live for the re-use," ISRO officials said.
The Microsat-R will be launched in low earth orbit at the altitude of 274 km. Then, the fourth stage will be moved to a higher circular orbit at the height of 450 km so as to establish it as an orbital platform.
Kalamsat, the student payload, is developed by Chennai-based organisation Space Kidz India. "Kalamsat is experimental telecommunication satellite developed by a team of 15 students. During the disaster or emergency situations, in place of deploying huge satellites, we can deploy nano-satellites. We will test the effectiveness of nano communication satellites during this mission," said Srimathy Kesan, CEO, Space Kidz India. The satellite, which can survive for one month, was developed by a team of 15 students in one week.
The brain behind KalamSat is 18-year-old Rifath Sharook, who had built the world's smallest and lightest satellite weighing just 64 gm along with his six-member team from Tamil Nadu. This small satellite was launched by NASA in June 2017.
Sharook, one of the team members who built the Kalamsat, said that they will study how the communication systems function during disaster and emergency situations.
So far, ISRO has launched nine satellites built by students, but this is the first to be launched in the new PSLV variant. It is also the first flight of PSLV-DL variant with just two strap-ons. "After the separation of the satellite, the fourth stage will be restarted twice to achieve the circular orbit," ISRO officials said.
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