The NovaSAR-1 radar satellite and the SSTL S1-4 observation satellite, both built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, were sent into orbit 580km above the Earth at 5.38pm from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. NovaSar, designed and manufactured by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), based in Guildford, Surrey, was launched into space aboard a rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India at 17:38pm BST (12:38 ET) yesterday. The UK Space Agency has invested £21 million in the development of NovaSAR-1 and will benefit from access to data from the spacecraft, significantly boosting the UK’s sovereign Earth observation capabilities and leveraging additional inward investment to the UK by creating highly skilled jobs in the UK space industry. Dr Graham Turnock, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said: “This exciting new satellite, with its powerful imaging radar system and compact design, has been developed and built in the UK, and will provide a host of benefits for applications including the detection of oil spills, flood monitoring and agriculture. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is launching its heavy-weight rocket, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), into orbit on Sunday, 16 September carrying two foreign satellites, according to a press release.
The first of a series of British satellites, known as NovaSAR, is launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India. The Surrey Satellite Technology satellite is designed to monitor suspicious shipping activity.