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 kg
Dimension:
2.0 m x 1.77 m x 3.1 m cuboid
Launch Date:
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Mission Life:
12 Years
Power:
Solar array providing 6000 Watts and two 180 AH Lithium lon batteries
Ariane-5 VA-221
Type of Satellite:
Communication
Manufacturer:
ISRO
Owner:
ISRO
Application:
Communication
Orbit Type:
GSO

PSLV-C26/IRNSS-1C Mission
IRNSS-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 Liquid Solid Liquid

(HTPB (UH25 + (HTPB (MMH + MON-
Based) N2O4) Based) 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 20 12.8 3.6 3.0

(m)

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 MISSION

Marking 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 Satellites

Starting 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 Navigation
Satellite 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 Satellites
ISRO 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 A

SRE – 1 Jan 10, 2007 550 kg

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

RS-1 Jul 18, 1980 35 kg 16 Watts

RTP Aug 10, 1979 35 kg

 Launch Date Launch Mass Power Launch Vehicle Orbit Type A

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 satellites
ISRO 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).

ASLV
With 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

VEHICLE
About 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 kg

PSLV 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 kg

Due 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: PS4
The 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: PS3

The 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: PS2
PSLV 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: PS1

PSLV 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 Motors
PSLV 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 Date

Title 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 kg

GSLV'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 kg

Further, 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: CUS
Developed 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: GS2

One 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: GS1
The 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 Motors
The 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 Date

Title 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-4

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

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 Rockets

Currently, 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-M

Payload (in kg) 10 60 100

Altitude (in km) 80 160 470

Purpose Meterology Aeronomy Aeronom

Launch Pad Thumba Balasore SDSC-SHAR SDSC-SH

Several scientific missions with national and international participation have been conducted using the

Rohini sounding rockets. LVM3

About 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 kg

LVM3 will be capable of placing the 4 tonne class satellites of the GSAT series into Geosynchronous Transfer
Orbits.

Payload to LEO: 8,000 kg

The powerful cryogenic stage of LVM3 enables it to place heavy payloads into Low Earth Orbits of 600 km
altitude.
Cryogenic Upper Stage : C25
The 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 : S200

LVM3 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 Stage

The L110 liquid stage is powered by two Vikas engines designed and developed at the Liquid Propulsion
Systems Centre.

Stage Height : 17 m

Stage Diameter :4m

Engine : 2 x Vikas

Fuel : 110 tonnes of UDMH + N2O4

Thrust : 1598 kN

Vacuum Isp : 293 sec

Burntime : 200 sec

Launchers