About this stamp
On July 18, 1980, a significant milestone was achieved in India’s space exploration journey with the successful launch of SLV-3, India’s first Satellite Launch Vehicle, from Sriharikota Range (SHAR) in Andhra Pradesh. This launch marked India’s entry into an exclusive club of nations with their own satellite launch capabilities.
The development of SLV-3 was primarily carried out at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, with the SHAR Center of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) playing a crucial role in the launch complex, tracking, telemetry systems, and rocket motors’ propellant processing and testing. The ISRO Satellite Center developed the Rohini Satellite, while the Satellite Application Center contributed to the tracking system receiver, telemetry antenna, and telecommand transponder.
Various major national industries and Indian institutions collaborated in designing, analyzing, testing, and fabricating the vehicle hardware and heavy structures of SLV-3. The launch vehicle itself had a length of 22.6 meters and a take-off weight of 17 tonnes, utilizing four solid propellant stage motors.
The vehicle’s stages were controlled by sophisticated systems, including secondary injection thrust vector control, bipropellant reaction control system, and monopropellant system. The fourth stage, along with the satellite interface, was spin-stabilized and protected by a heatshield from aerodynamic heating during flight.
SLV-3 was equipped with a destruct system to terminate the flight in case of malfunction, ensuring safety during launch operations. The vehicle boasted 172 subsystems in its equipment bay, including guidance systems, telecommand systems, and tracking systems, all crucial for steering and maintaining the vehicle’s trajectory.
The launch process involved meticulous assembly of the launch vehicle and satellite, automatic checkout systems to monitor parameters until launch, and mission control operations to oversee the entire process. Ground telemetry, tracking, and command stations played a vital role in monitoring the vehicle’s performance until the satellite was successfully placed in orbit.
The successful launch of SLV-3 represented a significant achievement for India’s space research endeavors. In recognition of this milestone, the Indian P & T Department issued a special stamp to commemorate India’s space research achievements and the successful launch of SLV-3.
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