The Gujarat-based aerospace firm Azista BST Aerospace launched its maiden satellite, Azista BST Aerospace First Runner (AFR), also called ABA First Runner.
The satellite was launched as part of the Elon Musk-led SpaceX Transporter-8 mission, atop a Falcon 9 rocket, from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, at 2.49 am (IST). Azista BST Aerospace is an Indo-German satellite manufacturing joint venture floated by India’s Azista Industries Pvt. Ltd and Berlin Space Technologies GmbH.
AFR is equipped with an optical remote sensing payload with both panchromatic and multispectral imaging capabilities. The satellite will provide a panchromatic image with 5-metre resolution with a swath of 70km. It is the first satellite of its size and performance built by the private space industry in India, capable of supporting various critical applications for civilian and defence purposes.