ISRO to conduct PSLV’s 60th flight by end of December
- November 25, 2023
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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ISRO to conduct PSLV’s 60th flight by end of December
Subject : Science and Tech
Section: Space technology
Context:
- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the first sounding rocket launch from Thumba this week, is preparing for another ‘big 60′.
About PSLV
- PSLV stands for Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. It’s an expendable launch vehicle developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to launch satellites into polar orbits.
- It has been used for a wide range of missions, including launching Earth observation satellites, communication satellites, and scientific payloads into polar orbits around the Earth.
Key features about the PSLV:
- Variants: The PSLV comes in various configurations, including the PSLV-G (standard version), PSLV-CA (Core Alone), and PSLV-XL (extended version). Each variant is tailored for specific mission requirements.
- Payload Capacity: The PSLV can carry payloads ranging from a few hundred kilograms to over a ton, depending on the specific variant and mission requirements.
- Versatility: It is known for its adaptability and ability to launch satellites into a variety of orbits, including polar orbits, geostationary transfer orbits (GTO), and sun-synchronous orbits (SSO).
- Reliability: The PSLV has earned a reputation for its reliability and cost-effectiveness, making it a popular choice for satellite launches not only for Indian payloads but also for international customers.
- Notable Missions: The PSLV has conducted several remarkable missions, including the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) in 2013 and the launch of numerous small and large satellites for various purposes.
- Contributions: It has played a crucial role in India’s space program and has been instrumental in Earth observation, remote sensing, navigation, and communication satellite deployments.
Characteristics of PSLV
- Adaptability: PSLV is known for its adaptability and versatility. It can be configured in various ways to accommodate different mission requirements, including launching satellites into different orbits and carrying multiple payloads on a single mission.
- Payload Capacity: While the exact payload capacity depends on the specific PSLV variant and mission profile, it can typically carry payloads ranging from a few hundred kilograms to over a ton. The PSLV-CA variant, for example, can carry payloads of approximately 1,100 kilograms to a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).
- Polar Orbit Capability: As the name suggests, the PSLV is well-suited for launching satellites into polar orbits. This capability is essential for Earth observation, remote sensing, and scientific missions that require global coverage.
- Reliability: The PSLV has a remarkable track record of reliability. It has successfully launched numerous satellites, both for Indian and international customers, making it a trusted choice for satellite deployment.
- Cost-Effectiveness: PSLV is known for its cost-effectiveness in comparison to other launch vehicles with similar capabilities. This cost-efficiency has made it an attractive option for a wide range of missions.
- Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO) Capability: PSLV is capable of launching satellites into sun-synchronous orbits, which are often used for Earth observation and remote sensing missions. SSOs provide consistent lighting conditions for imaging and data collection.
- Multi-Orbit and Multi-Payload Capability: PSLV can carry multiple satellites on a single mission, deploying them into different orbits if necessary. This capability is valuable for rideshare missions where multiple payloads share a launch.
What are the Launch vehicles used by ISRO?
Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV):
- The first rocket developed by ISRO was simply called SLV, or Satellite Launch Vehicle.
- It was followed by the Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle or ASLV.
Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV):
- SLV and ASLV both could carry small satellites, weighing up to 150 kg, to lower earth orbits.
- ASLV operated till the early 1990s before PSLV came on the scene.
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV):
- PSLV’s first launch was in 1994, and it has been ISRO’s main rocket ever since. Today’s PSLV, however, is vastly improved and several times more powerful than the ones used in the 1990s.
- It is the first Indian launch vehicle to be equipped with liquid stages.
- PSLV is the most reliable rocket used by ISRO till date, with 52 of its 54 flights being successful.
- It successfully launched two spacecraft – Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and Mars Orbiter Spacecraft in 2013 – that later traveled to Moon and Mars respectively.
- ISRO currently uses two launch vehicles – PSLV and GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle), but there are lots of different variants of these.
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV):
- GSLV is a much more powerful rocket, meant to carry heavier satellites much deeper into space. Till date, GSLV rockets have carried out 18 missions, of which four ended in failure.
- It can take 10,000-kg satellites to lower earth orbits.
- The indigenously developed Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS), forms the third stage of GSLV Mk II.
- Mk-III versions have made ISRO entirely self-sufficient for launching its satellites.
- Before this, it used to depend on the European Arianne launch vehicle to take its heavier satellites into space.
Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV):
- SSLV is targeted at rising global demand for the launch of small and micro-satellites.
- SSLV is meant to offer cost-effective launch services for satellites up to 500 kg.
- It is supposed to carry an indigenous earth observation satellite EOS-03 into space.
- Reusable Rockets/ Future Rockets:
- The future rockets are meant to be reusable. Only a small part of the rocket would be destroyed during the mission.
- The bulk of it would re-enter the earth’s atmosphere and land very much like an airplane, and can be used in future missions.
- Reusable rockets would cut down on costs and energy, and also reduce space debris, which is becoming a serious problem because of the large number of launches.
- Fully-reusable rockets are still to be developed, but partially-reusable launch vehicles are already in use.
- ISRO has also developed a reusable rocket, called RLV-TD (Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator) which has had a successful test flight in 2016.