ISRO vehicles

by Jean-Jacques Serra
listing by Gunter Krebs
Indian founded its space agency ISRO in 1969 and then a Ministry of Space in 1972. The next step was to decide to build a national space launcher.

---

SLV 3 (Satellite Launch Vehicle) and ASLV (Advanced SLV)

SLV 3 was a 4-stage solid-fuel light launcher (polybutadiene). It was 17.8 tons and 22.7 m high with a 1 m diameter max. Its payload mass in circular 500 km orbit was around 40 kg.

The first stage was 9 m high; it delivered 420 kN t (sea level) thrust during 53 seconds. The second stage (80 cm diameter) operated during 42 seconds and provided 200 kN thrust. The third stage (same diameter as stage 2) was fired for 46 seconds and delivered over 60 kN thrust. The 4th stage (65 cm diameter) was fired for 30 seconds and provided about 22 kN thrust. Two ballistic phases occured during the flight: one after second stage shutdown (until 88 km altitude) and after third stage shutdown (to reach perigee altitude).

Rockets were launched from the Sriharikota base on the Indian East coast. This site is operational since the success of a RH-125 sounding rocket in October 1971. After a first attempt which failed in August 1979 the SLV 3 rocket orbited 3 little Rohini scientific satellites in July 1980, Mai 1981 and April 1983. Then the launcher was abandonned for the ASLV.

ASLV was dirived from SLV 3 by the addition of two boosters which dimensions and performances were similar to those of the first stage. Those boosters provided the takeoff of the vehicle by providing each 440 kN thrust during 49 seconds. This caused the first stage to be modified to operate in the air. ASLV was 24 m high and its capacity reached 150 kg payload in LEO (40 km).

The first two launches were failures in March 1987 and July 1988. Then ASLV orbited two SROSS satellites in May 1992 and May 1994.

Noticeable is the fact the the first stage of the SLV 3 was used from 1989 on as first stage of the experimental Agni IRBM (2500 km range). This is perhaps a unique example of transfert of a civilian stage to a military application.

---

PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle)

PSLV is a 4-stage launcher measuring 44 m high for 2.8 m diameter max, weighing 275 tons.It can orbit around 1 ton payload in sun-synchronous polar orbit.

The first stage is 20 m high and weighs 129 tons. It is powered by a solid fuel motor (HTPB: Hydroxyl-Terminated PolyButadiene) which burns during 100 seconds and provides 3500 kN thrust at sea level (4600 kN in vacuum). It is supported by 6 boosters --switched on by group of two then four-- derived from the SLV 3 and ASLV first stage. Each of those deliver 440 kN thrust at sea level (660 kN in vacuum). The second stage is 11 m high for 2.8 m diameter and weighs 38 tons. Its Vikas motor --built under French SEP licence-- consumes liquid propellant (nitrogen tetraoxide and UDMH: Unsymmetrical DiMethylHydrazine). It provides 725 kN thrust during 150 seconds. The third stage is 3.5 m high and 2 m diameter; it weighs 7 tons. Its solid fuel motor (HTPB) provides 340 kN thrust. The fourth stage protected by a bulb cap is 2.6 m long by 1.34 m diameter. It is propulsed by 2 ergols motors (peroxyde d'azote and MMH: MonoMethylHydrazine) of 7.5 kN thrust each which burn during about 7 minutes.

The first launch failed in Sep 1993 because of a software problem in the guidance system. The second launch in Oct 1994 orbited IRS P2. The next flights are scheduled every 12 to 18 months for the IRS remote sensing satellites.

---

GSLV (GeoStationary Launch Vehicle)

Derivates from the PSLV: uses the solid first stage and and the storable propellant second stage from it. It has 4 new liquid strapons derived from the second stage. The third stage was provided by Russia, it uses liquid hydrogen.

The second stage L110 is 12.5 m high for 2.1 m diameter and weighs 45.6 tons. Its motors consumes liquid propellant (nitrogen tetraoxide and UDMH: Unsymmetrical DiMethylHydrazine).
The third stage C-25 is 3.6 m high and 2.8 m diameter; it weighs 43 tons. Its usesthe same fuel as the second stage.
Total mass: 640 tons

In 2020 the launcher started a process for its human rating.

---

SSLV (Small Satellite Launch Vehicle)

Wtih a payload capacity of 500 kg to mid-inclination LEO and 300 kg to sun-synchronous orbit.
Would launch from a launchpad in Kulasekarapattinam, a town in the Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) district of Tamil Nadu?

---

SLV 3 launches

#	Launch id	Payload	Launch date	Type	Status (orbit in perigee x apogee x inc. x period)
1	n/a	Rohini 1A	10 Aug 1979	SLV 3	Failure
2	80062	Rohini 1B	18 Jul 1980	SLV 3
3	81051	Rohini 2	31 May 1981	SLV 3	Partial failure
4	83033	Rohini 3	17 Apr 1983	SLV 3

Notes: All launches from Sriharikota

---

ASLV launches

#	Launch id	Payload	Launch date	Type	Status (orbit in perigee x apogee x inc. x period)
1, D1	n/a	Sross 1	24 Mar 1987	ASLV	Failure
2, D2	n/a	Sross 2	12 Jul 1988	ASLV	Failure
3, D3	92028	Sross 3	20 May 1992	ASLV	Partial failure
4, D4	94027	Sross C2	4 May 1994 at 00:00 UT	ASLV

Notes: All launches from Sriharikota

---

PSLV launches

#	Launch id	Payload	Launch date	Type	Status (orbit in perigee x apogee x inc. x period)
1, D1	n/a	IRS 1E	20 Sep 1993 at 00:12 UT	1	Failure: computer error
2, D2	94068	IRS P2	15 Oct 1994 at 05:07 UT	1
3, D3	96017	IRS P3	21 Mar 1996 at 04:53 UT	1
4, C1	97057	IRS 1D	29 Sep 1997 at 04:47 UT	2	Partial failure: 822 x 306 km (not circular)
5, C2	99029	A: Kitsat 3 B: Tubsat C C: IRS P4	26 May 1999 at 06:22 UT	2
6, C3	01049	A: TES B: Proba 1 C: Bird	22 Oct 2001 at 04:53 UT	2
7, C4	02043	Metsat	12 Sep 2002 at 10:27 UT	3	GTO: 250 x 36000 km The liquid propellant capacity of the fourth stage has been increased from 2 to 2.5 tons
8, C5	03046	IRS P6	17 Oct 2003 at 04:52 UT	3
9, C6	05017	A: IRS P5 B: Hamsat	05 May 2005 at 04:44 UT	3	632 x 621 km x 97.8° Heaviest payload: over 1600 kg First use of the second launch pad
10, C7	07001	A: Lapan-Tubsat B: IRS 2A C: SRE 1 D: Pehuensat 1	10 Jan 2007 at 03:53 UT	3
11, C8	07013	A: Agile B: AVM or IAM (measuring instrument attached to the 4th stage)	23 Apr 2007 at 10:00 UT	CA	Equatorial orbit. Without the 6 strap-on boosters.
12, C10	08002	Techsar	21 Jan 2008 at 03:45 UT or 05:29 UT	CA	469 x 585 km x 41.0°
13, C9	08021	A: IRS 2B B: CanX 6 C: CanX 2 D: IMS 1 E: Compass 1 F: AAUsat 2 G: Delfi C3 J: Seeds 2 K: Rubin 8 on PSLV R/B L: Cute 1.7 II	28 Apr 2008 at 03:53 UT	CA
14, C11	08052	Chandrayaan 1 (moon probe)	22 Oct 2008 at 00:52 UT	XL	255 x 22,860 km x 17.9° Had larger strap-on motors (PSOM-XL).
15, C12	09019	A: Risat 2 B: Anusat	20 Apr 2009 at 01:15 UT	CA
16, C14	09051	A: IRS P7 (Oceansat 2) B: SwissCube C: Beesat 1 D: Uwe 2 E: Itu-psat 1 F: Rubin 9.1+9.2	23 Sep 2009 at 06:21 UT	CA
17; C15	10035	A: IRS 2C B: Studsat C: Aissat 1 D: Alsat 2A E: Tisat 1	12 Jul 2010 at 03:52 UT	CA
18, C16	11015	A: IRS 2D B: Youthsat C: X-sat	20 Apr 2011 at 04:42 UT	3	808 x 815 km x 98.7°
19, C17	11034	A: Gsat 12	15 Jul 2011 at 11:21 UT	XL
20, C18	11058	A: Megha-Tropiques B: Jugnu C: Vesselsat 1 D: SRMsat	12 Oct 2011 at 05:30 UT	CA	867 km x 20°
21, C19	12017	Risat 1	26 Apr 2012 at 00:17 UT	XL
22, C21	12047	A: Spot 6 B: Proiteres + mResins (attached to 4th stage)	9 Sep 2012 at 04:23 UT	CA
23, C20	13009	A: Saral B: AAUsat 3 C: Sapphire Canada D: Neossat E: Strand 1 F: CanX 3B G: CanX 3A	25 Feb 2013 at 12:31 UT	CA	total payload mass: 668.5 kg
24, C22	13034	Irnss 1A	1 Jul 2013 at 18:11 UT	XL
25, C25	13060	Mars Orbiter Mangalyaan	5 Nov 2013 at 09:08 UT	XL
26, C24	14017	Irnss 1B	4 Apr 2014 at 11:44 UT	XL
27, C23	14034	A: Spot 7 B: AISat C: Canx 4 D: Canx 5 E: Velox 1	30 Jun 2014 at 04:22 UT	CA
28, C26	14061	Irnss 1C	15 Oct 2014 at 20:02 UT	XL	282x20670 km x 17.7°
29, C27	15018	Irnss 1D	28 Mar 2015 at 11:49 UT	XL	277 x 20769 km
30, C28	15032	A: DMC3-1 B: DMC3-2 C: DMC3-3 D: Carbonite 1 E: DeOrbitSail	10 Jul 2015 at 16:28 UT	XL	Uses a new circular launcher adaptor MSA-V2 1440 kg total mass
31, C30	15052	A: Astrosat B: Lapan A2 D: Lemur 2 Chris E: Lemur 2 Jeroen C: Lemur 2 Joel F: Lemur 2 Peter	28 Sep 2015 at 04:30 UT	XL	644 x 651 km x 6° 1631 kg total payload mass
32, C9	15077	A: Velox C1 B: Kent Ridge 1 C: Athenoxat 1 D: TeLEOS 1 E: Galassia 1 F: Velox 2	16 Dec 2015 at 12:30 UT	CA
33, C31	16003	Irnss 1E	20 Jan 2016 at 04:01 UT	XL
34, C32	16015	Irnss 1F	10 Mar 2016 at 10:31 UT	XL
35, C33	16027	Irnss 1G	28 Apr 2016 at 07:20 UT	XL
36, C34	16040	A: IRS Cartosat 2C B: Sathyabamasat C: Skysat 3 D: GHGsat D E: Lapan A3 F: Biros G: M3msat J: Swayam 12 Flock 2P satellites	22 Jun 2016 at 03:56 UT	XL	1288 kg total payload mass
38, C35	16059	A: Pratham B: Pisat C: Alsat 1B D: Alsat 2B E: Blacksky Pathfinder 1 F: CanX 7 G: Alsat 1N H: ScatSat 1	26 Sep 2016 at 03:44 UT	XL	First launch in 2 different orbits (718x732 km and 661x704 km)
39, C36	16074	IRS Resourcesat 2A	7 Dec 2016 at 04:54 UT	XL
40, C37	17008	A: IRS Cartosat 2D B: INS 1A C: INS 1B Dove Flock 3p 1 to 88 Lemur 2 22 to 29 BD: Bgusat~ (Israel) dido 2 (Switzerland) peasss (Netherlands) Al-Farabi 1~ (UAE) Nayif 1~ (Kazakhstan)	15 Feb 2017 at 03:58 UT	XL	total payload mass: 1378 kg
41, C38	17036	A: UCLsat C: IRS Cartosat 2E B: Niusat D: Lituanicasat 2 E: CE-sat 1 F: Inflatesail G: Lemur 2 Shainajohl H: Lemur 2 Xueniterence J: Lemur 2 Lucybryce K: Lemur 2 Kungfoo L: Aalto 1 M: Ursa Maior N: Compass 2 P: Max Valier Sat Q: Lemur 2 Lynsey-Symo R: Lemur 2 Lisasaurus S: Lemur 2 Sam-Amelia T: Lemur 2 Mcpeake U: Diamond Red (Aus) V: Pegasus W: Diamond Green (Aus) X: Diamond Blue (Aus) Y: Nudtsat Z: Suchai AA: Skcube AB: VZLUSat AC: Venta 1 AG: Tyvak 53B~	23 Jun 2017 at 03:59 UT	XL
42, C39	17051	IRNSS 1H	31 Aug 2017 at 13:30 UT	XL	Partial failure: heat shield remained attached because some pyro devices failed, wrong orbit attained
43, C40	18004	A: IRS Cartosat 2ER C: LEO Vantage 1 D: Iceye X1 E: Carbonite 2 F INS 1C H: Corvus BC3 S: Demosat 2 / Astranis T: Microsat TD V: Arkyd 6A W: Picsat~ X: Micromas 2A~ AC: Fox 1D AD: Step Cube Lab~ AJ: Cicero 7~ AK: Tyvak 61C~ 4 x Flock 4 x Lemur 4 x Spacebee	12 Jan 2018 at 03:59 UT	XL	Spacebee satellites were unlicenced satellites from a US company Swarm Technologies, as their license was not granted on safety grounds (satellites are very small (less than 10 cm cube), difficult to track)
44, C41	18035	Irnss 1I	11 Apr 2018 at 22:34 UT	XL	281 x 20730 km
45, C42	18071	A: SSTL S1-4 B: NovaSAR S	16 Sep 2018 at 13:38 UT	XL/CA
46, C43	18096	A: HySIS B: Hsat 1 C: Facsat 1 D: Centauri 2 K: 3CAT 1 L: Case M: BlackSky Global 1 U: Cicero 8 V: Innosat 2 AA: Reaktor Hello World AB: Hiber 1 16 x Flock 3R 4 x Lemur	29 Nov 2018 at 04:27 UT	CA
47, C44	19006	A: Microsat R B: Kalamsat v2	24 Jan 2019 at 18:07 UT	DL	2 strap-on boosters
48, C45	19018	A: Emisat F: Astrocast 0.2 AB: Aistechsat 3 AD: Bluewalker 1 AF: M6P 4 x Lemur 2 20 x Dove (Flock 4a)	1 Apr 2019 at 03:57 UT	QL	4 strap-on boosters
49, C46	19028	Risat 2B	22 May 2019	CA
50, C47	19081	A: IRS Cartosat 3 C: Meshbed 12 x Flock 4p	27 Nov 2019 at 03:58 UT	XL
51, C48	19089	A: Nanova B: 1Hopsat C: Duchifat 3 E: QPS-SAR 1 F: Risat 2BR1 PTD 1 4x Lemur (D J K M)	11 Dec 2019 at 09:55 UT	QL	576 km, 37°
52, C49	20081	A: Risat 2BR2 4x Lemur 2 KSM 1A to 1D J: R2	7 Nov 2020 at 09:41 UT	DL	565 x 577 km x 36.9°
53, C50	20099	Gsat 12R / CMS 1	17 Dec 2020 at 10:11 UT	XL	273 x 20882 km x 17.8°
54, C51	21015	A: Amazonia 1 C: Nanoconnect 2 D: Sindhu Netra W: SDsat Spacebee 76 to 87 JITSat~ GHRCEsat~ Sdsat~ Sri Shakthi Sat~	28 Feb 2021 at 04:54 UT	DL
55, C52	22013	A: Risat 1A B: Inspiresat 1 C: INS 2TD	14 Feb 2022 at 00:29 UTC	XL
56, C53	22072	A: DS-EO C: NeuSAR D: Scoob 1 E: POEM	30 Jun 2022 at 12:32 UTC	CA
57, C54	22158	A: IRS Oceansat 3 C&D: Thybolt 1 and 2 E: INS 2D F: Anand Astrocast 301 to 304	26 Nov 2022 at 06:26 UTC	XL
58, C55	23057	A: Poem 2 B: Lumelite 4 C: Teleos 2	22 Apr 2023 at 08:50 UTC	CA	586 km x 10°
59, C56	23109	A: DS-SAR B: Velox AM C: Orb-12 Strider D: Scoob 2 E: Arcade F: Galassia 2 G: Nulion	30 Jul 2023 at 02:01 UTC	CA	535 km x 5° 422 kg total mass
60, C57	23132	Aditya L1	01 Sep 2023 at 06:20 UTC	XL	solar observation satellite to L1 point

Notes: All launches from Sriharikota (2100 km southeast of New Dehli)

---

GSLV launches

#	Launch id	Payload	Launch date	Type	Status (orbit in perigee x apogee x inc. x period)
1, D1	01015	Gsat 1	18 Apr 2001 at 10:13 UT	GSLV	Partial failure: 166 x 31977 km x 19.3°
2, D2	03018	Gsat 2	8 May 2003 at 11:38 UT	GSLV	180 x 36000 km x 19.2°
3, D3	04036	Gsat 3	20 Sep 2004 at 10:31 UT	GSLV	180 x 35985 km x 19.2°
4, D4	n/a	Insat 4C	10 Jul 2006 at 12:08 UT	GSLV	Failure: had to be destroyed as it went off course; a strap-on booster regulator failed
5	07037	Insat 4CR	2 Sep 2007 at 12:50 UT	GSLV	underperformance of the vehicle: 168 x 34710 km x 20.7°
6, D3	n/a	Gsat 4	15 Apr 2010 at 10:57 UT	GSLV Mk II	Failure: 3rd stage failure (faulty turbo pump)
7	n/a	Insat 4D / Gsat 5	25 Dec 2010 at 10:34 UT	GSLV Mk I (3)	Failure: 1st stage control failure 47s into the flight due to a cable snap, caused by a russian-made cylindrical cover failure.
8, D5	14001	Gsat 14	5 Jan 2014 at 10:48 UT	GSLV Mk II	175 x 35945 km x 19.3°
9, D6	15041	Insat 4E/Gsat 6	27 Aug 2015 at 11:22 UT	GSLV Mk II	168 x 35939 km x 20°
10, F5	16054	Insat 3DR	8 Sep 2016 at 11:20 UT	GSLV Mk II	152 x 35935 km x 20.6°
11, F9	17024	Gsat 9	5 May 2017 at 11:27 UT	GSLV Mk II	169 x 36105 km x 20.65°
12, D1	17031	Gsat 19e	5 Jun 2017 at 11:58 UT	GSLV Mk III	3136 kg payload
13, F8	18027	Gsat 6A	29 Mar 2018 at 11:26 UT	GSLV Mk II(2)
14, D2	18089	Gsat 29	14 Nov 2018 at 11:38 UT	GSLV Mk III
15, F11	18105	Gsat 7A	19 Dec 2018 at 10:40 UT	GSLV Mk II(3)
16	19042	Chandrayaan 2	22 Jul 2019 at 09:13 UT	GSLV Mk III	lunar orbit, 3850 kg
17, F10	n/a	GISAT 1/EOS 3	12 Aug 2021 at 00:13 UTC	GSLV Mk II	Failure: upper stage fuel tank pressure loss
18	22138	Oneweb 0458 and 35 others	22 Oct 2022 at 18:37 UTC	GSLV Mk III	5015 kg payload mass
19	23043	Oneweb 0612 and 36 others	26 Mar 2023 at 4:30 UTC	LVM3
20, F12	23076	Irnss 1J	29 May 2023 at 05:12 UTC	GSLV Mk II
21	23098	Chandrayaan 3	14 Jul 2023 at 09:05 UTC	GSLV Mk III	lunar orbit, 3895 kg total payload

Notes: All launches from Sriharikota

---

SSLV launches

#	Launch id	Payload	Launch date	Type	Status (orbit in perigee x apogee x inc. x period)
1, D1	n/a	Microsat EOS 02 AzaadiSat	7 Aug 2022		Failure: 4th stage failure Expected orbit: 356 km x 37.2°
2, D2	23019	A: EOS 07 B: AzaadiSat 2 C: Janus 1	10 Feb 2023 at 03:48 UTC		total payload mass: 175 kg 450 km x 37.2°

---