List Of Launch Vehicle Of India And Their Uses

A launch vehicle often referred to as a rocket, is a vehicle designed to carry payloads such as satellites, spacecraft, scientific instruments, or even humans into space. They are typically composed of several stages, each containing engines, propellant tanks, and various systems necessary for propulsion and control.

Launch Vehicles Of India are :

• Sounding Rockets
• Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV) & Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle ASLV
• Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)
• Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)
• Reusable Launch Vehicles
• AVTAR
• SSLV

Sounding Rockets

They are two staged rockets based on solid fuel. They are designed to study that part of atmosphere which lies between the upper range of metrological balloon and below the lower limit of the satellite . They can be launched from Thumba Equatorial rocket launch station, Satish Dhawan space center and Balasore. But the preferred choice is Thumba because it lies on the magnetic equator. The current series of sounding rocket of India is called Rohini.

Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV) & Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle ASLV

Satellite Launch Vehicle was 4 stage vehicles, all of them were based on solid fuels. One of the reason behind SLV was to acquire technology for intermediate range ballistic missiles. Satellite Launch Vehicle had 5 stages and all of them were based on solid.

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)

Polar satellite launch vehicle is by par most successful launch vehicle with the 4 stages that is solid , liquid and 6 boosters using solid fuel . It has the world record of launching the highest number of satellite in single flight (104). The transfer of this technology will help in developing next generation ballistic missile called MIRV vehicles (Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle) This can carry 3 to 10 nuclear warheads. It will guarantee the second strike capability.

PSLV was primarily designed for launching remote sensing satellites in the polar orbits but in the absence of GSLV, it has been used for placing telecom satellites in their orbits, IRNSS satellites, Chandrayan-1, Mars orbiter mission, AstroSat, remote sensing satellites, in future it will be used for Aditya L-1, NISAR remote sensing satellites etc. ISRO has developed following variants of PSLV. Vikram Sarabhai’s effort that led to the development of India’s labourer rocket the PSLV.

• It has 4 stages and 6 boosters , Payload capacity is 1600 kg.
• Core alone – it has 4 stages but no booster with payload capacity of 1100 kg.
• PSLV XL – 4 stages with 6 boosters and payload capacity 1800 kg.
• PSLV HP – 4 stages , 6 boosters with payload of 2000 kg.

Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)

Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle has 3 stages , 4 boosters – stages are solid , liquid and cryogenic and the boosters are based on liquid fuels it has 3 variants –

1. GSLV MK1 : based on Russian cryogenic engine with payload capacity of 2.5C tonne.
2. GSLV MK2 : 3 stages, cryogenic engine is CE 7.5 & C12 i.e. cryogenic engine will have 75 kilo thrust and it will use 12 tonnes of propellant . Its payload capacity is 2.5 tonne.
3. GSLV MK3 (LVM 3) : The configuration is similar to that of GSLV MK2 but cryogenic engine is more powerful. In lower orbit payload capacity will be 10 tonnes, whereas in geostationary orbit it will be around 4 tonnes. It was recently used for placing Chandrayaan 2 in orbit, The cryogenic engine is CE20 & CU25 . It means the thrust is 200kg Newton and quantity of propellant is 25 tonnes. GSLV MK3 will be employed for Gaganyaan Mission as well.

Reusable Launch Vehicles

It is also know as Two-Stage Orbit:

1^st Stage is semi-cryogenic where liquid hydrogen has been replaced by kerosene which is named as Isrosene. It will take off, will reach a certain height and then will return like an airplane.

The 2nd Stage will be cryogenic, it will place the satellite in orbit, then it will de-orbit itself and finally it will have a soft landing with the help of a balloon.

These two stages will be then put together to be launched again, to develop RLV.

ISRO has planned four experiment:

1. HEX : Hypersonic Flight Experiment.
2. LEX : Landing Flight Experiment.
3. REX : Reusable flight Experiment.
4. SPEX : Scramjet Propulsion Flight Experiment.

In May 2016, the prototype of RLV was successfully tested. In that experiment , the RLV prototype was placed on a two stage – solid fuel using sounding rocket ROHINI at a height of 7 km the prototype separated and returned like an airplane.

In Aug 2016 ISRO tested scramjet engine when two scramjets were placed on a sounding rocket and they were switched on for five seconds to achieve a speed of 6 Mach , with that ISRO became 4th space
agency to successfully test scramjet technology. According to ISRO, it will be able to develop
RLV by 2030.

RLV offers the following significances-

• The Payload capacity will be up to 20 tonnes.
• The launch cost of satellites will come down by as much as 90%. This will help ISRO in offering competitive packages for the commercial launch of Satellite.
• It will help in addressing the Debris problem.
• The re-entry technology will be the most vital when it comes to Human Space flight.
• The Scramjet technology will be a part of BRAHMOS MK II missile.
• RLV will also provide technical contributions for the development of AVTAR.

AVTAR

AVTAR is India’s hyper plane i.e. a combination of a rocket and a jet. It is a joint venture of ISRO and DRDO, according to DRDO it will be able to complete 100 flights of outer space. It will take off like a rocket, achieve a speed of 5-8 Mach after placing the satellite, it will glide back like an airplane.

SSLV

(SSLV) is a derivative of PSLV which can carry a payload of 5oo kg in lower orbit i.e. up to 2000 km.

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Arshil Iqbal

A BCA graduate, Web developer, Technophile and a reading enthusiast who likes to research and explore. Now professionally utilising my technical skills in blogging to create information and engaging content.

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