Chandrayaan-3: Meet the rocket that will power India's space ambitions
By Girish Linganna | First Published Jul 11, 2023, 1:04 PM ISTChandrayaan-3 will be transported by the GSLV Mark III or LVM-III launch vehicle. This marks the fourth launch of the GSLV Mark III, which stands as India's largest rocket launcher. Girish Linganna traces the development of this the LVM-III, which can deploy a four-tonne satellite into geosynchronous orbit.
The Indian Space Research Organisation will launch Chandrayaan-3, the country's moon mission, on July 14 at 2:35 pm IST from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The spacecraft will be carried by the GSLV Mark III or LVM-III launch vehicle. This is the fourth launch of GSLV Mark III. This is the same rocket that was deployed to launch the Chandrayaan-2 mission to the moon in 2019. That was also the first operational flight of the rocket.
ISRO has changed the name of their launch vehicle from GSLV Mk-III to LVM-3. The renaming is not unusual, but it is a new practice for India. LVM-3 stands for Launch Vehicle Mark 3. This was done to mainly to reiterate its mission of placing satellites into a variety of orbits. On 23rd October 2022, the LVM3 launched 36 OneWeb satellites into space. The LVM3 was used again on 26 March 2023, for a similar mission
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ISRO’s GSLV MkIII
India's GSLV MkIII is the country's largest rocket launcher developed by the ISRO. The project was given the green light in 2002 with the goal of creating a rocket capable of launching a four-tonne satellite into geosynchronous orbit.
The GSLV MkIII, which weighs 641 tonnes (similar to a large aircraft), had its first launch on June 5, 2017, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. This powerful rocket can carry four-tonne satellites to the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) and around 10,000 tonnes to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
The cost of this heavy rocket is approximately Rs 400 crore. In June 2018, the Union Cabinet approved Rs 4,338 crore to construct 10 rockets of this kind within five years.
Movement of the launch vehicle to the launch pad. pic.twitter.com/Tu973C6IjC
— ISRO (@isro)Rocket Configuration
The GSLV MkIII is made up of three stages: two solid strap-on motors (S200), a liquid core stage (L110), and a high-thrust cryogenic upper stage (C25). The S200 solid motor is one of the largest solid boosters worldwide and contains 204 tonnes of solid propellant.
The L110 stage has twin liquid engines with 115 tonnes of liquid propellant, while the C25 stage has a fully indigenous high-thrust cryogenic engine (CE20) with 28 tonnes of propellant.
The rocket is 43.5 meters long and weighs 640 tonnes at liftoff, with a 5-meter diameter payload fairing. The powerful cryogenic stage allows it to launch heavy payloads into a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at an altitude of 600 kilometres. This capability was demonstrated in the 2022 launch where 36 OneWeb satellites were successfully deployed.
Significance of GSLV-MKIII’s launches
On July 22, 2019, the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft was launched into its intended orbit. This mission was quite complex and marked a big advancement in technology for ISRO. It involved an Orbiter, Lander, and Rover, all working together to explore the uncharted South Pole of the Moon.
The spacecraft's orbit had a closest point to Earth (perigee) of 169.7 km and a farthest point (apogee) of 45,475 km. With the successful launch of OneWeb satellites, India has become a cost-effective choice for launching commercial satellites.
Other Major Launches
The GSLV MkIII has been chosen as the launch vehicle for the Gaganyaan mission. This mission aims to take three crew members to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and safely return them to a predetermined location on Earth.
Other Launch Vehicles of ISRO
India currently has two operational rocket launchers. The first one is the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which is known as a reliable workhorse. The second one is GSLV.
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