ISRO launches RH rocket with student’s payload

ISRO has successfully launched the RH 200 rocket, which had a part of its payload developed by students from Vellore Institute of Technology University (VITU) in Tamil Nadu.

The RH 200 rocket, a technology demonstrator flight, was launched on July 7 from Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) attached to Vikram Sarabhaio Space Centre, a VSSC release said today.

The payload developed by the VITU students was part of ISRO's initiative of encouraging varsity students as partners in payload development.

The students' payload comprised tri-axial accelerometers, power switching module and safe arm relay unit matching the requirements of RH 200 rocket, the release said.

The tri-axial accelerometer can monitor accelerations in all three directions. The power-switching module is for the power control of the payload.

The faculty and students of VITU had taken keen interest during the development and test activities of these payloads at various work centres, it added.

The students of the Indian Institute of Space Technology (IIST) were also progressing well in their attempt to make the first indigenous "students' rocket" with support of the experts from VSSC.

In its endeavour to handhold the student community, ISRO has included a picosatellite designed by undergraduate students across India, in its forthcoming PSLV-C15 mission.

The decision was taken with the aim to provide hands-on experience in frontier areas of space technology such as design, fabrication and realisation of a space mission at a reduced cost.

After the successful flight of the Advanced Technology Vehicle ATV D01, this was a major step to demonstrate the performance of super capacitors in flight pyro systems activation. The flight successfully tested the super capacitor developed by VSSC.

So far TERLS has recorded 2291 flights of sounding rockets and this is the 395th flight of RH 200 rocket.