The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) PSLV-C51 is planning to launch Brazil’s Amazonia-1 as the primary satellite and 20 co-passenger satellites aboard PSLV-C51. This will be the 53rd mission of PSLV and liftoff will occur from Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. The launch is tentatively scheduled for 1023 hrs, IST, on February 28, 2021, subject to weather conditions.
PSLV-C51/Amazonia-1 is the first dedicated commercial mission of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a Government of India company under the nation’s Department of Space. NSIL is undertaking this mission under a commercial arrangement with Spaceflight Inc. USA.
Amazonia-1 is the optical Earth Observation (EO) satellite of Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE). This satellite will provide remote sensing data to users for monitoring deforestation in the Amazon region and analysis of diversified agriculture across the Brazilian territory.
The 20 co-passenger satellites include one from ISRO (INS-2TD), four from IN-SPACe (three UNITYsats from a consortium of three Indian academic institutes and one Satish Dhawan Sat from Space Kidz India) and 15 from NSIL.