India is set to launch Brazil's Amazonia-1, a fully developed remote sensing satellite, which will study the alarming deforestation in the Amazon.
The launch will mark the first commercial venture of the newly formed NewSpace India Limited (NSIL)– a state-owned company, which is part of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The PSLV-C51 rocket will place the satellite along with 18 others in the sun-synchronous orbits, which is especially useful for trhe placement of imaging, spy, and weather satellites.
ISRO said that the satellites will be launched on Sunday at 10:30 am, subject to weather conditions. The live telecast of the launch will be available on ISRO website, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter channels. This will be ISRO's first mission in the year 2021.
Launch rehearsal of #PSLVC51 completed today. Launch scheduled at 1024 hrs IST on February 28, 2021.
For more details visit: https://t.co/1OKMDRN95U#NSIL #INSPACe #amazonia1 #ISRO pic.twitter.com/6MtFZvXkAG
— ISRO (@isro) February 25, 2021
The PSLV C51 rocket has four stages; each one was self-contained, with its own propulsion system, thereby capable of functioning independently. The first and third stages used composite solid propellants, while the second and fourth stage use earth-storable liquid propellant.
ISRO has clarified that Amazonia-1 satellite will be the primary payload of this mission. The satellite was originally supposed to launch on a Brazilian VLS-1 rocket, but the programme was cancelled. It is the first Earth observation satellite which is fully developed by Brazil.
ISRO said that the Amazonia-1 is the optical earth observation satellite of Brazil's National Institute for Space Research. It will strengthen the existing infrastructure by providing remote sensing data to users for monitoring deforestation in the Amazon region and analysis of diversified agriculture across the Brazilian territory.
