GSAT-16

GSAT-16, an advanced communication satellite, weighing

3181.6 kg at lift-off, is being inducted into the INSAT-GSAT system.  GSAT-16 is

configured to carry a total of 48 communication transponders, the largest number of

transponders carried by a communication satellite developed by ISRO so far, in normal

C-band, upper extended C-band and Ku-band.  GSAT-16 carries a Ku-band beacon as

well to help accurately point ground antennas towards the satellite.

The designed on-orbit operational life of GSAT-16 is 12 years.  The communication

transponders on-board GSAT-16 together ensure continuity of various services currently

provided by INSAT-GSAT system and serve as on-orbit spares to meet contingency

requirements or for the augmentation of such services.

GSAT-16 is launched into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) by Ariane-5 VA-221

launch vehicle from Kourou, French Guiana.  After its injection into GTO, ISRO’s Master

Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan takes control of the satellite and performs the initial

orbit raising manoeuvres using the satellite’s on-board Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM),

finally placing it in the vicinity of circular Geostationary Orbit. After this, the deployment

of appendages such as the solar panels, antennas and three axis stabilization of the

satellite were performed.  GSAT-16 is positioned at 55 deg East longitude in the

Geostationary orbit and co-located with GSAT-8, IRNSS-1A and IRNSS-1B satellites.

PAYLOADS OF GSAT-16

12 Ku-band transponders each with 36 MHz usable bandwidth with footprint

covering Indian mainland and Andaman & Nicobar islands

24 C-band transponders each with 36 MHz usable bandwidth with footprint covering

Indian mainland and island territories

12 Upper Extended C-band transponders each with 36 MHz usable bandwidth with

footprint covering Indian mainland and island territories

 

 

Launch Mass: 3181.6 kgDimension: 2.0 m x 1.77 m x 3.1 m cuboidLaunch Date: Sunday, December 7, 2014Mission Life: 12 YearsPower: Solar array providing 6000 Watts and two 180 AH Lithium lon batteriesAriane-5 VA-221Type of Satellite: CommunicationManufacturer: ISROOwner: ISROApplication: CommunicationOrbit Type: GSO

PSLV-C26/IRNSS-1C MissionIRNSS-1C will be the third out of seven in the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite

System (IRNSS) series of satellites after IRNSS-1A and IRNSS-1B. The satellite is one

among the seven of the IRNSS constellation of satellites slated to be launched to

provide navigational services to the region. The satellite will be placed in

geosynchronous orbit. 

Satellite

The satellite will help augmenting the satellite based navigation system of India which is

currently under development. The navigational system so developed will be a regional

one targeted towards South Asia. The satellite will provide navigation, tracking and

mapping services.

IRNSS-1C satellite will have two payloads: a navigation payload and CDMA ranging

payload in addition with a laser retro-reflector. The payload generates navigation

signals at L5 and S-band. The design of the payload makes the IRNSS system inter-

operable and compatible with Global Positioning System (GPS) and Galileo. The satellite

is powered by two solar arrays, which generate power up to 1,660 watts, and has a life-

time of ten years.

PSLV-C23

PSLV-C23, launched SPOT-7 a French earth observation satellite, into an 655 km Sun-

Synchronous Orbit (SSO). It is the tenth flight of PSLV in 'core-alone' configuration

(without use of solid strap-on motors).

Along with SPOT-7, there were four co-passenger satellites viz. AISAT from DLR

Germany, NLS7.1 and NLS7.2 from UTIAS/SFL Canada and VELOX-1 from NTU

Singapore. 

PSLV- C23 Stages at a Glance

  STAGE-1 STAGE-2 STAGE-3 STAGE-4

Nomenclature PS1 PS2 PS3 PS4

Propellant Solid(HTPB Based)

Liquid(UH25 + N2O4)

Solid(HTPB Based)

Liquid(MMH + MON-3)

Mass (Tonne) 138 41 7.6 2.5

Max Thrust (kN) 4787 804 242 7.3 X 2

Burn Time (sec) 102 148 110 526

Stage Dia (m) 2.8 2.8 2.0 2.8

Stage Length (m)

20 12.8 3.6 3.0

 

PSLV-C27/IRNSS-1D Mission

The fourth satellite of IRNSS Constellation, IRNSS-1D was launched onboard PSLV-C27.

The satellite is one among the seven of the IRNSS constellation of satellites slated to be

launched to provide navigational services to the region. The satellite is placed in

geosynchronous orbit.

Satellite

The satellite will help augmenting the satellite based navigation system of India which is

currently under development. The navigational system so developed will be a regional

one targeted towards South Asia. The satellite will provide navigation, tracking and

mapping services.

MARS ORBITER MISSIONMarking India's first venture into the interplanetary space, MOM will explore and

observe Mars surface features, morphology, mineralogy and the Martian atmosphere.

Further, a specific search for methane in the Martian atmosphere will provide

information about the possibility or the past existence of life on the planet.

The enormous distances involved in interplanetary missions present a demanding

challenge; developing and mastering the technologies essential for these missions will

open endless possibilities for space exploration. After leaving Earth, the Orbiter will

have to endure the Interplanetary space for 300 days before Mars capture. Apart from

deep space communications and navigation-guidance-control capabilities, the mission

will require autonomy at the spacecraft end to handle contingencies.

Once India decided to go to Mars, ISRO had no time to lose as the nearest launch

window was only a few months away and it could not afford to lose the chance, given

the next launch would present itself after over 780 days, in 2016. Thus, mission

planning, manufacturing the spacecraft and the launch vehicle and readying the

support systems took place swiftly.

Connect with Mars Orbiter

 

Launch Vehicle

MOM was launched aboard PSLV C-25, which was an XL variant of the PSLV, one of

world's most reliable launch vehicles. The XL variant was earlier used to launch

Chandrayaan (2008), GSAT-12 (2011) and RISAT-1 (2012).

Read More

Spacecraft

Based on the I-1-K satellite bus of ISRO that has proved its reliability over the years in

Chandrayaan-1 and the IRS and INSAT series of satellites, the MOM spacecraft carries

850 kg of fuel and 5 science payloads.

Read More

Ground Segment

The Orbiter is being tracked by the Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN), located outside

Bangalore. IDSN's 32 m and 18 m diameter antennas are being complemented by NASA

- JPL's Deep Space Network.

Read More

Mission profile

The Mars Mission was envisaged as a rendezvous problem, wherein the Mars orbiter is

manoeuvred into a departure hyperbolic trajectory, escapes the SOI of Earth and

thereafter enters the SOI of Mars.

Read More

Scientific & Exploration

Indian space programme encompasses research in areas like astronomy, astrophysics,

planetary and earth sciences, atmospheric sciences and theoretical physics. Balloons,

sounding rockets, space platforms and ground-based facilities support these research

efforts. A series of sounding rockets are available for atmospheric experiments. Several

scientific instruments have been flown on satellites especially to direct celestial X-ray

and gamma-ray bursts.

Mars Orbiter Mission

Mars Orbiter Mission is ISRO’s first interplanetary mission to planet Mars with an orbiter

craft designed to orbit Mars in an elliptical orbit of 372 km by 80,000 km. Mars Orbiter

mission can be termed as a challenging technological mission and a science mission

considering the critical mission operations and stringent requirements on propulsion,

communications and other bus systems of the spacecraft. The primary driving

technological objective of the mission is to design and realize a spacecraft with a

capability to perform Earth Bound Manoeuvre (EBM), Martian Transfer Trajectory (MTT)

and Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI) phases and the related deep space mission planning and

communication management at a distance of nearly 400 million Km. Autonomous fault

detection and recovery also becomes vital for the mission.

Chandrayaan-1

Chandrayaan-1, India's first mission to Moon, was launched successfully on October 22,

2008 from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota. The spacecraft was orbiting around the Moon at a

height of 100 km from the lunar surface for chemical, mineralogical and photo-geologic

mapping of the Moon. The spacecraft carried 11 scientific instruments built in India,

USA, UK, Germany, Sweden and Bulgaria.

Chandrayaan-2

Chandrayaan-2 will be an advanced version of the previous Chandrayaan-1 mission to

Moon.Chandrayaan-2 is configured as a two module system comprising of an Orbiter

Craft module (OC) and a Lander Craft module (LC) carrying the Rover developed by

ISRO.

Communication Satellites

The Indian National Satellite (INSAT) system is one of the largest domestic

communication satellite systems in Asia-Pacific region with nine operational

communication satellites placed in Geo-stationary orbit. Established in 1983 with

commissioning of INSAT-1B, it initiated a major revolution in India’s communications

sector and sustained the same later. Currently operational communication satellites are

INSAT-3A, INSAT-3C, INSAT-3E, INSAT-4A, INSAT-4B, INSAT-4CR, GSAT-8, GSAT-10 and

GSAT-12.

The system with a total of 195 transponders in the C, Extended C and Ku-bands

provides services to telecommunications, television broadcasting, satellite news

gathering, societal applications, weather forecasting, disaster warning and Search and

Rescue operations.

Earth Observation SatellitesStarting with IRS-1A in 1988, ISRO has launched many operational remote sensing

satellites. Today, India has one of the largest constellations of remote sensing satellites

in operation. Currently, eleven operational satellites are in orbit – RESOURCESAT-1 and

2, CARTOSAT-1, 2, 2A, 2B, RISAT-1 and 2, OCEANSAT-2, Megha-Tropiques and SARAL.

Varieties of instruments have been flown onboard these satellites to provide necessary

data in a diversified spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions to cater to different user

requirements in the country and for global usage. The data from these satellites are

used for several applications covering agriculture, water resources, urban planning,

rural development, mineral prospecting, environment, forestry, ocean resources and

disaster management.

Satellite NavigationSatellite Navigation service is an emerging satellite based system with commercial and

strategic applications. ISRO is committed to provide the satellite based Navigation

services to meet the emerging demands of the Civil Aviation requirements and to meet

the user requirements of the positioning, navigation and timing based on the

independent satellite navigation system. To meet the Civil Aviation requirements, ISRO

is working jointly with Airport Authority of India (AAI) in establishing the GPS Aided Geo

Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system. To meet the user requirements of the

positioning, navigation and timing services based on the indigenous system, ISRO is

establishing a regional satellite navigation system called Indian Regional Navigation

Satellite System (IRNSS).

(a) GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN):

This is a Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) implemented jointly with Airport

Authority of India (AAI). The main objectives of GAGAN are to provide Satellite-based

Navigation services with accuracy and integrity required for civil aviation applications

and to provide better Air Traffic Management over Indian Airspace. The system will be

interoperable with other international SBAS systems and provide seamless navigation

across regional boundaries. The GAGAN Signal-In-Space (SIS) is available through GSAT-

8 and GSAT-10.

(b) Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)

This is an independent Indian Satellite based positioning system for critical National

applications. The main objective is to provide Reliable Position, Navigation and Timing

services over India and its neighbourhood, to provide fairly good accuracy to the user.

The IRNSS will provide basically two types of services

1. Standard Positioning Service (SPS)

2. Restricted Service (RS)

Space Segment consists of seven satellites, three satellites in GEO stationary orbit

(GEO) and four satellites in Geo Synchronous Orbit (GSO) orbit with inclination of 29° to

the equatorial plane. All the satellites will be visible at all times in the Indian region. The

first satellite is scheduled to be launched in 2013 and the total seven satellite

constellation is scheduled to be in place by 2016. Ground Segment is responsible for the

maintenance and operation of the IRNSS constellation. It provides the monitoring of the

constellation status, computation of the orbital and clock parameters and navigation

data uploading. The Ground segment comprises of TTC & Uplinking Stations, Spacecraft

Control Centre, IRNSS Timing Centre, CDMA Ranging Stations, Navigation Control Centre

and Data Communication Links. Space segment is compatible with single frequency

receiver for Standard Positioning Service (SPS), dual frequency receiver for both SPS &

RS service and a multi mode receiver compatible with other GNSS providers.

Experimental SatellitesISRO has launched many small satellites mainly for the experimental purposes. This experiment include Remote Sensing, Atmospheric Studies, Payload Development, Orbit Controls, recovery technology etc.

Launch Date Launch Mass Power Launch Vehicle Orbit Type

SRE – 1 Jan 10, 2007 550 kg

Apple Jun 19, 1981 670 kg 210 Ariane -1(V-3) GSO

RS-1 Jul 18, 1980 35 kg 16 Watts

RTP Aug 10, 1979 35 kg

Aryabhata Apr 19, 1975 360 kg 46 Watts

Small Satellites

The small satellite project is envisaged to provide platform for stand-alone payloads for

earth imaging and science missions within a quick turn around time. For making the

versatile platform for different kinds of payloads, two kinds of buses have been

configured and developed.

Indian Mini Satellite -1 (IMS-1)

IMS-1 bus has been developed as a versatile bus of 100 kg class which includes a

payload capability of around 30 kg. The bus has been developed using various

miniaturization techniques. The first mission of the IMS-1 series was launched

successfully on April 28th 2008 as a co-passenger along with Cartosat 2A. Youthsat is

second mission in this series and was launched successfully along with Resourcesat 2

on  20th April 2011.

 Indian Mini Satellite -2 (IMS-2) Bus

IMS-2 Bus is evolved as a standard bus of 400 kg class which includes a payload

capability of around 200kg. IMS-2 development is an important milestone as it is

envisaged to be a work horse for different types of remote sensing applications. The

first mission of IMS-2 is SARAL.  SARAL is a co-operative mission between ISRO and

CNES with payloads from CNES and spacecraft bus from ISRO.

Student satellitesISRO has influenced educational institutions by its activities like making satellites for

communication, remote sensing and astronomy. The launch of Chandrayaan-1

increased the interest of universities and institutions towards making experimental

student satellites. Capable Universities and institution can venture into space

technology on-orbit with guidance and support from ISRO in following ways.

Development of Payload (by Universities/Institutions)

Every satellite carries a payload that performs the intended function to achieve

the mission goal and the main bus that supports the payload function. The Development

of payloads may comprise of detectors, electronics and associated algorithms, which

can be an experimental piggy back payload on the ISRO’s on-going (Small or

operational) satellite projects.

 Design and development of detectors, payload electronics, and associated algorithm  /

experiments that enhance the application of space services to mankind is a continuing

R&D  activity in several educational institutions all over the world. Educational

institutions can propose the payloads developed by them to be flown on ISRO’s small

satellites. 

Under this option, payload only is developed by the Universities or Institutions

and launched with ISROs satellite missions which has other ISRO’s payloads. Data

Handing and data transmission is done by ISRO as the part of satellite bus.

After launch ISRO will acquire payload data and disseminate it to

Universities/ institutions further processing and analysis. 

 Satellite Design & Fabrication by Universities/Institutions

Under this option Universities have to design, fabricate, test the satellite Bus & Payload

and deliver the integrated spacecraft for launch. Technical guidance in designing,

fabrication and testing will be provided by ISRO. Some critical materials for the

space mission also will be provided by ISRO. 

The designs and test results will be reviewed by ISRO team. 

SLV

Satellite Launch Vehicle-3 (SLV-3) was India's first experimental

satellite launch vehicle, which was an all solid, four stage vehicle

weighing 17 tonnes with a height of 22m and capable of placing 40

kg class payloads in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

SLV-3 was successfully

launched on July 18, 1980 from Sriharikota Range (SHAR), when Rohini satellite, RS-1,

was placed in orbit, thereby making India the sixth member of an exclusive club of

space-faring nations . SLV-3 employed an open loop guidance (with stored pitch

programme) to steer the vehicle in flight along a pre-determined trajectory. The first

experimental flight of SLV-3, in August 1979, was only partially successful. Apart from

the July 1980 launch, there were two more launches held in May 1981 and April 1983,

orbiting Rohini satellites carrying remote sensing sensors.

The successful culmination of the SLV-3 project showed the way to advanced launch

vehicle projects such as the Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV), Polar Satellite

Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the Geosynchronous satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).

Under this option more than one University/Institution may participate. One

among them will be the focal point for the ISRO. After launch, the collected data will be

archived and disseminated by university/Institution(s).

ASLVWith a lift off weight of 40 tonnes, the 24 m tall ASLV was configured

as a five stage, all-solid propellant vehicle, with a mission of orbiting

150 kg class satellites into 400 km circular orbits.

The Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV)

Programme was designed to augment the payload capacity to 150 kg, thrice that of

SLV-3, for Low Earth Orbits (LEO). While building upon the experience gained from the

SLV-3 missions, ASLV proved to be a low cost intermediate vehicle to demonstrate and

validate critical technologies, that would be needed for the future launch vehicles like

strap-on technology, inertial navigation, bulbous heat shield, vertical integration and

closed loop guidance.

Under the ASLV programme four developmental flights were conducted. The first

developmental flight took place on March 24, 1987 and the second on July 13, 1988.

The third developmental flight, ASLV-D3 was successfully launched on May 20, 1992,

when SROSS-C (106 kg) was put into an orbit of 255 x 430 km. ASLV-D4, launched on

May 4, 1994, orbited SROSS-C2 weighing 106 kg. It had two payloads, Gamma Ray

Burst (GRB) Experiment and Retarding Potentio Analyser (RPA) and functioned for seven

years.

 

POLAR SATELLITE LAUNCH VEHICLEAbout the Launch Vehicle

The PSLV is one of world's most reliable launch vehicles. It has been in service for over

twenty years and has launched various satellites for historic missions like Chandrayaan-

1, Mars Orbiter Mission, Space Capsule Recovery Experiment, Indian Regional

Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) etc. PSLV remains a favourite among various

organisations as a launch service provider and has launched over 40 satellites for 19

countries. In 2008 it created a record for most number of satellites placed in orbit in one

launch by launching 10 satellites into various Low Earth Orbits.

Vehicle Specifications

Height : 44 m

Diameter : 2.8 m

Number of Stages : 4

Lift Off Mass : 320 tonnes (XL)

Variants : 3 (PSLV-G, PSLV - CA, PSLV - XL)

First Flight : September 20, 1993

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Payload to SSPO: 1,750 kgPSLV earned its title 'the Workhorse of ISRO' through consistently delivering various

satellites to Low Earth Orbits, particularly the IRS series of satellites. It can take up to

1,750 kg of payload to Sun-Synchronous Polar Orbits of 600 km altitude.

Payload to Sub GTO: 1,425 kgDue to its unmatched reliability, PSLV has also been used to launch various satellites

into Geosynchronous and Geostationary orbits, like satellites from the IRNSS

constellation.

Fourth Stage: PS4The PS4 is the uppermost stage of PSLV, comprising of two Earth storable liquid

engines.

Engine : 2 x PS-4

Fuel : MMH + MON

Max. Thrust : 7.6 x 2 kN

Third Stage: PS3The third stage of PSLV is a solid rocket motor that provides the upper stages high

thrust after the atmospheric phase of the launch.

Fuel : HTPB

Max. Thrust : 240 kN

Second Stage: PS2PSLV uses an Earth storable liquid rocket engine for its second stage, know as the Vikas

engine, developed by Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre.

Engine : Vikas

Fuel : UDMH + N2O4

Max. Thrust : 799 kN

First Stage: PS1PSLV uses the S139 solid rocket motor that is augmented by 6 solid strap-on boosters.

Engine : S139

Fuel : HTPB

Max. Thrust : 4800 kN

Strap-on MotorsPSLV uses 6 solid rocket strap-on motors to augment the thrust provided by the first

stage in its PSLV-G and PSLV-XL variants. However, strap-ons are not used in the core

alone version (PSLV-CA).

Fuel : HTPB

Max. Thrust : 719 kN

PSLV Launches Till DateTitle Launch Date Launcher Type Orbit Payload

PSLV-C27 Mar 28, 2015 PSLV-XL GSO

PSLV-C26 Oct 16, 2014 PSLV-XL GTO IRNSS 1C

PSLV-C23 Jun 30, 2014 PSLV-CA GTO

PSLV-C24 Apr 04, 2014 PSLV-XL GTO IRNSS-1B

PSLV-C25 Nov 05, 2013 PSLV-XL HEO Mars Orbiter Mission Spacecraft

Title Launch Date Launcher Type Orbit Payload

PSLV-C22 Jul 01, 2013 PSLV-XL GTO IRNSS-1A

PSLV-C20 Feb 25, 2013 PSLV-CA SSPO SARAL

PSLV-C21 Sep 09, 2012 PSLV-CA SSPO

PSLV-C19 Apr 26, 2012 PSLV-XL SSPO RISAT-1

PSLV-C18 Oct 12, 2011 PSLV-CA SSPO Megha-Tropiques

GEOSYNCHRONOUS SATELLITE LAUNCH VEHICLE(GSLV)About the Launch Vehicle

The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle was primarily developed to launch INSAT

class of satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbits. GSLV is being used for launching

GSAT series of satellites. GSLV is a three stage launcher that uses one solid rocket

motor stage, one Earth storable liquid stage and one cryogenic stage. The most recent

flight of GSLV, the GSLV-D5, placed GSAT-6 into its planned orbit and marked the first

successful flight of the indigenous cryogenic stage. Earlier, GSLV had launched various

communication satellites among which EDUSAT is notable, being India's first satellite

built exclusively to serve the educational sector through satellite based distance

education.

Vehicle Specifications

Height : 49.13 m

Number of Stages : 3

Lift Off Mass : 414.75 tonnes

First Flight : April 18, 2001

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Payload to GTO: 2,500 kgGSLV's primary payloads are INSAT class of communication satellites that operate from

Geostationary orbits and hence are placed in Geosynchronous Transfer Orbits by GSLV.

Payload to LEO: 5,000 kgFurther, GSLV's capability of placing up to 5 tonnes in Low Earth Orbits broadens the

scope of payloads from heavy satellites to multiple smaller satellites.

Third Stage: CUSDeveloped under the Cryogenic Upper Stage Project (CUSP), the CE-7.5 is India's first

cryogenic engine, developed by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre. CE-7.5 has a

staged combustion operating cycle.

Fuel : LOX + LH2

Max. Thrust : 75 kN

Burn-time : 720 sec

Second Stage: GS2One Vikas engine is used in the second stage of GSLV. The stage was derived from the

PS2 of PSLV where the Vikas engine has proved its reliability.

Engine : Vikas

Fuel : UDMH + N2O4

Max. Thrust : 800 kN

Burntime : 150 sec

First Stage: GS1The first stage of GSLV was also derived from the PSLV's PS1. The 138 tonne solid

rocket motor is augmented by 4 liquid strap-ons.

Engine : S139

Fuel : HTPB

Max. Thrust : 4700 kN

Burntime : 100 sec

Strap-on MotorsThe four liquid engine strap-ons used in GSLV are heavier derivatives of PSLV's PS2, and

use one Vikas engine each.

Fuel : UDMH + N2O4

Max. Thrust : 680 kN

Burntime : 160 sec

GSLV Launches Till DateTitle Launch Date Launcher Type Orbit Payload

GSLV-D5 Jan 05, 2014 GSLV-MK-II GSAT-14

GSLV-F06 Dec 25, 2010 GSLV-MK-II GSAT-5P

GSLV-D3 Apr 15, 2010 GSLV-MK-II GSAT-4

GSLV-F04 Sep 02, 2007 GSLV-MK-II INSAT-4CR

GSLV-F02 Jul 10, 2006 GSLV-MK-II GTO INSAT-4C

GSLV-F01 Sep 20, 2004 GSLV-MK-II EDUSAT

GSLV-D2 May 08, 2003 GSLV-MK-II GSAT-2

GSLV-D1 Apr 18, 2001 GSLV-MK-II GSAT-1

Sounding Rockets

Sounding rockets are one or two stage solid propellant rockets used for probing the

upper atmospheric regions and for space research. They also serve as easily affordable

platforms to test or prove prototypes of new components or subsystems intended for

use in launch vehicles and satellites. With the establishment of the Thumba Equatorial

Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) in 1963 at Thumba, a location close to the magnetic

equator, there was a quantum jump in the scope for aeronomy and atmospheric

sciences in India. The launch of the first sounding rocket from Thumba near

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on 21 November 1963, marked the beginning of the Indian

Space Programme . Sounding rockets made it possible to probe the atmosphere in situ

using rocket-borne instrumentation. The first rockets were two-stage rockets imported

from Russia (M-100) and France (Centaure). While the M-100 could carry a payload of

70 kg to an altitude of 85 km, the Centaure was capable of reaching 150 km with a

payload of approximately 30 kg.

  

1963 :: ISRO launches Nike-Apache rocket . The First Rocket to be launched from India

ISRO started launching indigenously made sounding rockets from 1965 and experience

gained  was of immense value in the mastering  of solid propellant technology. In 1975,

all sounding rocket activities were consolidated under the Rohini Sounding Rocket (RSR)

Programme. RH-75, with a diameter of 75mm was the first truly Indian sounding rocket,

which was followed by RH-100 and RH-125 rockets.  The sounding rocket programme

was the bedrock on which the edifice of launch vehicle technology in ISRO could be

built. It is possible to conduct coordinated campaigns by simultaneously launching

sounding rockets from different locations. It is also possible to launch several sounding

rockets in a single day.

Operational sounding RocketsCurrently, three versions are offered as operational sounding  rockets , which cover a

payload range of 8-100 Kg and an apogee range of 80-475 km.

Vehicle RH-200 RH-300-Mk-II RH-560-MK-II

Payload (in kg) 10 60 100

Altitude (in km) 80 160 470

Purpose Meterology Aeronomy Aeronomy

Launch Pad Thumba Balasore SDSC-SHAR SDSC-SHAR

Several scientific missions with national and international participation have

been conducted using the Rohini sounding rockets. LVM3About the Launch Vehicle

LVM 3 is a heavy launch capability launcher being developed by ISRO. It will allow India

to achieve complete self reliance in launching satellites as it will be capable of placing 4

tonne class Geosynchronous satellites into orbit. The LVM3 will have an India built

cryogenic stage with higher capacity than GSLV. The first experimental flight of LVM3,

the LVM3-X/CARE mission lifted off from Sriharikota on December 18, 2014 and

successfully tested the atmospheric phase of flight. Crew module Atmospheric Reentry

Experiment was also carried out in this flight. The module reentered, deployed its

parachutes as planned and splashed down in the Bay of Bengal.

Vehicle Specifications

Height : 43.43 m

Vehicle Diameter : 4.0 m

Heat Shield Diameter : 5.0 m

Number of Stages : 3

Lift Off Mass : 640 tonnes

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Payload to GTO: 4,000 kgLVM3 will be capable of placing the 4 tonne class satellites of the GSAT series into

Geosynchronous Transfer Orbits.

Payload to LEO: 8,000 kgThe powerful cryogenic stage of LVM3 enables it to place heavy payloads into Low Earth

Orbits of 600 km altitude.

Cryogenic Upper Stage : C25The C25 is powered by CE-20, India's largest cryogenic engine, designed and developed

by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre of ISRO located at Thiruvananthapuram.

Cryo Stage Height : 13.5 m

Cryo Stage Diameter : 4.0 m

Engine : CE-20

Fuel : 27 tonnes of LOX + LH2

Thrust : 186 kN

Solid Rocket Boosters : S200LVM3 uses two S200 solid rocket boosters to provide the huge amount of thrust

required for lift off. The S200 was developed at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.

Booster Height : 25 m

Booster Diameter : 3.2 m

Fuel : 207 tonnes of HTPB (nominal)

Thrust : 9316 kN

Vacuum Isp : 274.5 sec

Burntime : 130 sec

Core Stage : L110 Liquid StageThe L110 liquid stage is powered by two Vikas engines designed and developed at the

Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre.

Stage Height : 17 m

Stage Diameter : 4 m

Engine : 2 x Vikas

Fuel : 110 tonnes of UDMH + N2O4

Thrust : 1598 kN

Vacuum Isp : 293 sec

Burntime : 200 sec

Launchers