ISRO set to launch heavy satellites, readies rocket

ISRO'S Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has already proved its mettle in the Mars Orbiter Mission. However, for ISRO, that is not the end of the road. It has gone a step ahead in readying its next-generation rocket — the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark-III, which will enable India to launch 4,000 kg satellites into space.

The GSLV version of the rocket was used to launch 2,000-kg satellites previously. The 3-stage GSLV MK-III will be adopting the flight-proven solid and liquid stages of the PSLV, which also includes a cryogenic upper stage. The gslv launch will have more than one reasons to be celebrated. Firstly, it will help India in launching heavier satellites without depending on foreign rockets. Secondly, this will make India a competitor in the multi-million dollar commercial launch market. 

Numerous tests of the various levels of the launch have already been conducted. For instance, the cryogenic stage, which is designated as C25, has been tested in the month of February for a flight duration of 640 seconds at the propulsion complex at Mahendragiri in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.

The rocket, set to be launched in the next two months, is likely to carry GSAT-19 into space. The other launches will include Ka and Ku band payload along with a Geostationary Radiation Spectrometer (GRASP) payload. The GRASP will specifically be helpful in analysing the nature of the charged particles in space and the influence of space radiations on spacecrafts and electronic components. 
 

• india
• isro
• satellite
• launch