ISRO’s LAUNCH VEHICLES
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ISRO’s LAUNCH VEHICLES
TOPIC: Science & Tech
Context- On February 14, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched its first space mission of the year. An earth observation satellite named EOS-04 along with two other smaller satellites were launched into space using a PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) rocket. This was the 54th flight of the PSLV rocket.
Concept-
Launch vehicles and satellites:
- Both rockets and satellites are spacecraft, which is a generic term used for any object that is sent into space.
| Satellites | Rockets/Launch Vehicles |
| Satellites don’t go into the space on their own. They have to be carried there by launch vehicles, or rockets, like the PSLV. Most satellites have small propulsion systems and carry small amounts of fuel, because they encounter very little drag, or force, in outer space. | The rockets have powerful propulsion systems that generate the huge amount of energy required to lift heavy objects like satellites into space, overcoming the gravitational pull of the earth. |
| Satellites, or payloads as they are often called, sit inside the rocket, and are ejected once they reach near their intended orbit in space. | Rockets, or launch vehicles, become useless after the launch. Their only job is to take the satellites to their intended orbits. Once the satellite is finally ejected, this last part of the rocket either becomes part of space debris, or burns off after falling into the atmosphere. |
Types of launch vehicles used by ISRO:
- ISRO currently uses two launch vehicles – PSLV and GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle)
- PSLV is the most reliable rocket used by ISRO till date, with 52 of its 54 flights being successful.
- GSLV is much more powerful rocket, meant to carry heavier satellites much deeper into space.
- 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. ASLV operated till the early 1990s before PSLV came on the scene.
- ISRO has also developed a launch vehicle specifically for small and micro-satellites. It is called Small Satellite Launch Vehicle, or SSLV, and is targeted at rising global demand for the launch of such satellites. SSLV is meant to offer cost-effective launch services for satellites up to 500 kg.
Reusable rockets
- 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.