Rohini Satellite 1 or RS-1 is the first satellite successfully launched by India using indigenously developed rockets. After the launch on 18 July 1980 by a
SLV rocket, India became the
7th country to have rocket launching capability.
The satellite was spin-stabilised and provided data regarding the fourth stage of
SLV rocket.
Launch
Launched 8:04 AM IST from
Satish Dhawan Space Centre, it was the first successful orbital launch from the centre. It achieved orbit with an inclination of 44.7°, 8 minutes after the launch. It was launched after the failure of the first two
SLV launches.
The SLV rocket consisted of 25 km wiring, containing a million connections. 44 major systems and 250 subsystems were in the rocket. Individual components numbered about 100,000, and included almost 40,000 fasteners. At the time of launch, it weighed 17 tonnes and had a height of 22 meters.
The vehicle's trajectory was monitored by four long and medium range radars. Long-range Interferometer and optical line theodolites also aided in tracking. Four computer systems received trajectory information from the tracking sources and processed the data simultaneously. They displayed the vehicle's path on monitors in the range safety room of the control centre.
Sriharikota, Car Nicobar,
Trivandrum
Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the largest and ...
and
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...
centres joined in to provide tracking and telemetry support for the satellite.
Mediapersons were not allowed to the space centre during the launch. Many viewed the launch and the 5 km high white smoke from afar.
Design
The satellite had a weight of 35 kg, and was spin stabilized. It carried instruments such as digital
Sun sensor
A Sun sensor is a navigational instrument used by spacecraft to detect the position of the Sun. Sun sensors are used for Spacecraft attitude control, attitude control, solar array pointing, gyroscope, gyro updating, and safe mode (spacecraft), fai ...
, Magnetometer and temperature sensors atop a structure made out of Aluminium Alloy. It carried solar panels to produce 16W of electricity. It used a
VHF band for communications.
It provided data on the fourth stage of SLV. The satellite had mission life of 1.2 years and an orbital life of 20 months. It was planned to have a lifespan of 100 days.
References
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Satellites of India
Satellites in low Earth orbit