By the 50th mission, the PSLV would have launched 319 small satellites and around 63 satellites of Indian origin. | File
It has taken 26 years for the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) to close in on that thrilling milestone — the 50th mission.
But the next 50 would not take even half as long, given the changing demand profile of Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) trusted launch vehicle, said S. Somanath, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thumba.
“This is the inflection point where the rate of growth is suddenly changing. Today we realise the numbers we need —10 missions per year. We have taken 26 years to reach the 50th flight. But now, in the next five years, we will be making another 50,” Mr. Somanath told The Hindu , commenting on the upcoming 50th flight — the PSLV-C48 mission — planned on December 11 from Sriharikota.
By the 50th mission, the PSLV would have launched 319 small satellites and around 63 satellites of Indian origin, he said.
The first PSLV mission — the PSLV-D1 — lifted off on September 20, 1993.
On its 50th mission, the PSLV will carry India’s RISAT-2BR1 and nine smaller foreign satellites.
The 49 missions so far have been marred by only two failures.
Over the years, ISRO has developed variants of this four-stage rocket — PSLV-XL and PSLV-CA to mention two.
But the space agency had no immediate plan to make drastic changes in design or configuration, Mr. Somanath said.
This file photo shows a model of 'Aryabhatta', India's first satellite. Designed and built by Indian scientists, the satellite was launched on April 19, 1975 from the Soviet Union.
In this photo taken on September 1, 1993, the prototype of Vikas, the second stage liquid engine, is being tested at the Sub-System Preparation Facility, at the SHAR Complex in Sriharikota. Vikas engines are still in use for more complex and modern space machinery such as GSLV-Mk III.
Chandrayaan-1 is successfully launched. The rocket carrying the mission pierces the sky above Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota on October 22, 2008 on its way to the lunar orbit. With its success, India became the fourth country to set its flag on the moon.
ISRO’s PSLV C-21 blasts off, carrying two foreign satellites from the Satish Dhawan space centre at Sriharikota on September 9, 2012. The event marked the 100th mission of the ISRO. The then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh flew to Sriharikota to witness the historic moment.
This September 30, 2014, photograph taken by the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) spacecraft shows the planet Mars. Also known as Mangalyaan, it was originally made to last just six months, but has enough punch left for more than a decade in the Martian orbit.
ISRO's PSLV C38, carrying earth observation satellite Cartosat-2 Series and 30 co-passenger satellites of various countries, lifts off from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota on June 23, 2017. The other 29 nano satellites belonged to Austria, Belgium, Chile, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
ISRO’s navigation satellite IRNSS-1I, on board the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C41), lifts off at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on April 12, 2018. ISRO documents IRNSS-1I as the eighth navigation satellite that joined the IRNSS space segment. It is also the 20th flight of PSLV-XL version.
A Crew Escape System Technology Demonstrator by ISRO was launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on July 5, 2018. The space agency tested its crew escape system for an emergency escape measure designed to quickly pull the crew module along with the astronauts to a safe distance from the launch vehicle in the event of a launch abort.
A view of ISRO's GSLV-MkIII D2 mission carrying high throughput communication satellite GSAT-29 before the launch on November 13, 2018. Weighing 3,423 kg at lift-off, GSAT-29 was the heaviest satellite to be launched from India. With a mission life of 10 years, it was the 33rd communication satellite built by ISRO. These Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle placed the GSAT-29 in geostationary transfer orbit.
Preparations are underway for the launch of earth observation satellite Hyper Spectral Imaging Satellite (HysIS) equipped in Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle “Core-Alone” Variant (PSLV-CA), at Sriharikota on November 28, 2018. HysIS will be ISRO's first full-scale working satellite to study the Earth’s surface in visible, near-infrared and shortwave infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
1
/
3
Goal
“The current goal is to productionise the launcher; increase the numbers, bring down manufacturing costs and improve reliability through technology infusion. Also, we are exploring the possibility of retaining the fourth stage as an orbital platform,” he said.
Efforts to create an industry consortium for productionising the PSLV was under way, he added.
In the formative years of the PSLV programme few people could have imagined that the rocket would have such a long run, Mr. Somanath said.
The rocket’s core strength lay in its being a flexible, mid-size launcher as much as in the robust design, he said.
Significant number
“Fifty is significant in the global context. Not many launch vehicles have attained as many missions. Moreover, mid-size rockets have a large potential in the current scenario. The market size of a small rocket is limited to small satellites. A big one, on the other hand, can carry only five tonne or six-tonne satellites, which is again limited in numbers. But a mid-size rocket has the potential to carry small satellites in larger numbers,” he said.
Importance
PSLV was also important in that it was used in India’s first lunar mission and the interplanetary mission to Mars. “Though it is classified as a polar satellite launch vehicle, it is no longer that; it is a ‘VSLV’ — a versatile satellite launch vehicle,” Mr. Somanath said.
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.
