AzaadiSat, built by 750 girl students, to be launched by ISRO

New Delhi: Built by 750 girl students of 75 schools across India, AzaadiSAT is all set for launch early next month onboard the maiden flight of ISRO's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV).

The eight-kg satellite has 75 Femto experiments, selfie cameras to click photos of its own solar panels and long-range communication transponders. The project, with a mission life of six months, is part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, to mark the 75th anniversary of Independence. Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (INSPACe), in a tweet, said 750 girl students from 75 schools across India will be "cheerfully looking at the maiden launch of India's latest launch vehicle SSLV, as it carries their AzaadiSat onboard as a co-passenger".

"This is the first of its kind space mission with an all-women concept to promote women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) as this year's UN theme is 'Women in Space'," Rifath Sharook, Chief Technology Officer, at Space Kidz India, which has developed the satellite, said.

The Indian Space Research Organisation has developed the SSLV to put in low earth orbit satellites weighing less than 500 kg, which are much in demand for applications such as earth observation and providing internet connectivity in remote areas. The primary payload of the first demonstration flight of SSLV is an earth observation satellite MicroSat 2A. According to ISRO, an SSLV rocket can be manufactured within a week to meet the demands of the burgeoning space sector.