The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch its next commercial mission, with the DS-SAR satellite from Singapore as its primary payload. The PSLV-C56/DS-SAR mission has been scheduled for a tentative launch “towards the end of July” from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

The 360-kg DS-SAR, along with six other satellites, are set to be launched into a Near-Equatorial Orbit at 5 degrees inclination and 535 km altitude.

The DS-SAR satellite has been developed under a partnership between the Defence Science and Technology Agency, affiliated with the Government of Singapore, and Singapore-based ST Engineering. The satellite is designed to support satellite imagery requirements of agencies functioning under the Singapore government. ST Engineering will use it for multi-modal and higher responsiveness imagery and geospatial services for its commercial customers, ISRO said.

The DS-SAR satellite carries a Synthetic Aperture Radar payload developed by Israel Aerospace Industries that allows the satellite to provide all-weather, day-and-night coverage. It is also capable of imaging at 1m-resolution at full polarimetry.

The six other satellites to be launched as part of the mission are: ELOX-AM, a 23-kg technology demonstration microsatellite, ARCADE or Atmospheric Coupling and Dynamics Explorer, an experimental satellite, SCOOB-II, a 3U nanosatellite flying a technology demonstrator payload, NuLIoN by NuSpace, an advanced 3U nanosatellite enabling seamless IoT connectivity, Galassia-2, a 3U nanosatellite that will be orbiting at Low Earth Orbit, and ORB-12 STRIDER, a satellite developed under an international collaboration.

In April, ISRO had launched the PSLV-C55 mission which had TeLEOS-2, a 741-kg earth observation satellite from Singapore, as its primary payload.