The Indian Space Research Organisation’s workhorse rocket system, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), delivered its 53rd successful mission on Sunday by launching Amazonia-1, a 637-kg commercial remote sensing satellite for the Brazilian space research agency INPE, and 18 co-passenger satellites.
ISRO chairman K Sivan described the launch of the Amazonia-1 satellite on the PSLV-C51 and its insertion into a sun-synchronous orbit as being “precise” at the end of a 17.23-minute launch sequence at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday morning.
Former Brazilian astronaut and Minister for Science, Technology, and Innovation, Marcos Cesar Pontes, who was present at the launch with scientists from INPE, said the successful launch marks a “new era for Brazilian industry for satellite development in Brazil”.
The Amazonia-1 remote sensing satellite is the first satellite designed, developed, and launched by the Brazilian space research agency and is intended to monitor deforestation and agricultural activities in the Amazon region in Brazil.
The satellite has been under development in Brazil for nearly two decades.