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Published by Venkatachari Jagannathan\u00a0<\/p>\nHas the Indian space agency ISRO increased the carrying capacity of its LVM3 rocket by one ton to five tons? If yes, when that happened is the question that pops up on\u00a0seeing\u00a0an\u00a0announcement by its commercial arm\u00a0NewSpace\u00a0India Ltd (NSIL).\u00a0<\/p>\n
NSIL,\u00a0is taking a\u00a0five year\u00a0demand survey for three of the four rockets\u00a0developed by Indian Space Research\u00a0Organisation\u00a0(ISRO).\u00a0<\/p>\n
The\u00a0company\u00a0has listed out ISRO\u2019s three rockets viz Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-1,700+kg to 500 km orbit), Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-500 kg\u00a0to\u00a0500 km\u00a0orbit) and LVM3 (formerly Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk III-\u00a05,000 kg\u00a0to GTO) for assessing the launch services demand to orbit different classes of satellites.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Interestingly, NSIL has omitted to list ISRO\u2019s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-formerly GSLV Mk II) for the demand assessment\u00a0even though it had published the\u00a0rocket\u2019s\u00a0image on\u00a0the \u00a0document!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Perhaps, GSLV Mk II\u00a0has been omitted as NSIL is not seeking out the private sector to make it unlike the other three rockets.\u00a0Be that as it may, while listing out the features of LVM3, NSIL has said its carrying\u00a0capacity\u00a0to geo transfer orbit (GTO) is\u00a05,000 kg\u00a0or 5\u00a0tons.\u00a0The rated capacity of LVM3 is 4\u00a0tons\u00a0to GTO.\u00a0It recently orbited\u00a0GSAT-7R satellite weighing 4.4\u00a0tons\u00a0to GTO by tweaking the\u00a0orbit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead of the conventional\u00a036,000 km\u00a0apogee, the GTO apogee for\u00a0GSAT-7R\u00a0was\u00a0set at about 29,970 km (\u00b13,700 km). Former ISRO\u00a0Chairman\u00a0Dr. S. Somanath explained that the satellite would use its own propulsion system to reach the final Geostationary Orbit (GSO), a more efficient approach overall.\u00a0But using\u00a0satellite\u2019s\u00a0onboard fuel will reduce its lifespan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is learnt that NSIL has specified the LVM3\u2019s payload capacity as 5 ton as ISRO\u00a0will\u00a0soon\u00a0be fitting the rocket with a\u00a0high powered\u00a0cryogenic engine that will\u00a0carry\u00a0more fuel and provide higher thrust.\u00a0Further,\u00a0the rocket\u2019s\u00a0second\u00a0stage\u00a0liquid fuel\u00a0engine will be\u00a0converted\u00a0to a semi-cryogenic engine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both the changes will increase the LVM3\u2019s payload capacity\u00a0and will be ready for NSIL to offer the rocket for launch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to NSIL,\u00a0since the rocket launches are demand driven\u00a0and\u00a0it is\u00a0in the process of getting\u00a0the rocket\u2019s manufactured by the industries\u00a0it is now seeking a requisition form to be filled\u00a0to understand satellite launch market till 2030.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The company said it offers standard satellite dispensers and if\u00a0needed\u00a0customised\u00a0adapters\u00a0could be designed for the launch.\u00a0NSIL will provide\u00a0the satellite\u00a0fuel,\u00a0fuel\u00a0support and fueling cart and tracking service.\u00a0NSIL also said it will offer support\u00a0in completing the customs formalities at the Chennai Airport and\u00a0transport\u00a0the satellite to the rocket port in\u00a0Sriharikota\u00a0about\u00a0100 km\u00a0from the airport.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is also learnt that NSIL will be more\u00a0focused\u00a0on\u00a0the proactive marketing\u00a0of its service to potential clients in the coming times.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Published by Venkatachari Jagannathan\u00a0<\/p>\n
V.Jagannathan (Byline Venkatachari Jagannathan), is a freelance journalist based in Chennai, India covering the country\u2019s space, nuclear, insurance, automobile and several other industries. Jagannathan was with IANS newswire, one of India\u2019s premier news agencies and his articles \u2013 news, news analysis, interviews, profiles and others- on various sectors were published in several leading print, online publications within and outside India. He was also with India\u2019s first online business magazine www.domain-b.com. A school and college chess player Jagannathan also writes about Indian chess and has covered World Chess Championships, Chess Olympiads and others.<\/p>\n