Microsat-R
Microsat-R in satellite preparation facility.
Mission typeASAT target (supposedly Earth Observation)
OperatorDRDO (India)[1]
COSPAR ID2019-006A
SATCAT no.43947Edit this on Wikidata
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerDRDO[1]
Launch mass740 kilograms (1,630 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date24 January 2019
RocketPSLV-C44
Launch siteSatish Dhawan Space Centre (Sriharikota)
ContractorIndian Space Research Organization
End of mission
DisposalDestroyed in Orbit by ASAT
Destroyed27 March 2019
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeSSO at 274 km altitude
 

Microsat-R was claimed to be an experimental imaging satellite manufactured by DRDO[2][1] and launched by Indian Space Research Organisation on 24 January 2019 for military use.[3] The satellite served as a target for an anti-satellite test on 27 March, 2019.[4][5]

Launch

Microsat-R, along with KalamsatV2 as piggy-back, was launched on 24 January 2019[6] at 23:37 hrs from First Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The launch marks the 46th flight of PSLV.[7] After 13 minutes 26 seconds in flight, Microsat-R was injected at targeted altitude of about 277.2 km. This was the first flight of a new variant of PSLV called PSLV-DL with two strap-ons, each carrying 12.2-tonne of solid propellant.[8]

Anti-satellite test

Microsat-R served as target for Indian ASAT experiment on March 27, 2019.[9][10][11] The impact generated more than 400 pieces of orbital debris with 24 having apogee higher than ISS orbit.[12][13] According to initial assessment by DRDO some of the debris (depending on size and trajectory) should re-enter in 45 days.[14] A spokesperson from NASA disagreed, saying the debris could last for years because the solar minimum had contracted the atmosphere that would otherwise cause the debris to reenter.[15] Analysis from a leading space trajectory and environment simulation company AGI has also came to same conclusion that few debris fragments will take more than a year to come down and other debris fragments might pose a risk to other satellites and ISS and these results were also presented in the 35th Space Symposium at Colorado Springs.[16]

As of March 2022, only one catalogued piece of debris from Microsat-R remained in orbit: COSPAR 2019-006DE, SATCAT 44383. This final piece decayed from orbit 14 June 2022.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "ISRO's first mission of 2019 to put military satellite Microsat-R in space". thehindu. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  2. ↑ "ST/SG/SER.E/891 - Registration information from India on space objects launched in 2019". www.unoosa.org. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  3. ↑ "PSLV-C44, carrying India's experimental satellite Microsat-R and students' payload Kalamsat, lifts off". livemint.com. January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Mission Shakti Ebook (Anti-Satellite Missile)" (PDF). 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  5. ↑ "PSLV-C44 / Microsat-R & Kalamsat-V2 Mission" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  6. ↑ "PSLV-C44 carrying India's military satellite Microsat-R, students' payload Kalamsat, launched". India Today. January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  7. ↑ "PSLV-C44 successfully launched Microsat-R and Kalamsat-V2 - ISRO". www.isro.gov.in. Archived from the original on 2019-03-28. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  8. ↑ Tejonmayam, U (January 25, 2019). "Isro's PSLV C-44 successfully places military satellite Microsat-R". Times of India. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Onmanorama Exclusive | DRDO's top secret A-SAT mission codenamed 'Project XSV-1'". OnManorama. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  10. ↑ "Explained Mission Shakti | What is A-SAT and how it hit Microsat-R in 168 secs". OnManorama. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  11. ↑ Foust, Jeff (27 March 2019). "India Tests Anti-Satellite Weapon". Space.com.
  12. ↑ "NASA: Debris From India's Anti-Satellite Test Raised Threat To Space Station". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  13. ↑ "NASA's Orbital Debris Quarterly News Volume 23, Issue 3" (PDF). 2 August 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  14. ↑ "India says space debris from anti-satellite test to 'vanish' in 45..." Reuters. 2019-03-28. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  15. ↑ "SOLAR MINIMUM IS A TERRIBLE TIME TO BLOW UP A SATELLITE". spaceweather.com. 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  16. ↑ "Indian ASAT Forensics - April 9, 2019 Update".
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