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Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) is a class of expendable launch systems operated by the
Indian Space Research Organisation The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national List of government space agencies, space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), ...
(ISRO). GSLV has been used in fifteen launches since 2001.


History

The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) project was initiated in 1990 with the objective of acquiring an Indian launch capability for geosynchronous satellites. GSLV uses major components that are already proven in the
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is an expendable medium-lift launch vehicle designed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite ...
(PSLV) launch vehicles in the form of the S125/S139
solid rocket booster A solid rocket booster (SRB) is a solid propellant motor used to provide thrust in spacecraft launches from initial launch through the first ascent. Many launch vehicles, including the Atlas V, SLS and Space Shuttle, have used SRBs to give laun ...
and the liquid-fueled Vikas engine. Due to the thrust required for injecting the satellite in a
geostationary transfer orbit In space mission design, a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) or geosynchronous transfer orbit is a highly elliptical type of geocentric orbit, usually with a perigee as low as low Earth orbit (LEO) and an apogee as high as geostationary orbit ...
(GTO) the third stage was to be powered by a LOX/ LH2 Cryogenic engine which at that time India did not possess or have the technological expertise to build. The aerodynamic characterization research was conducted at the National Aerospace Laboratories' 1.2m Trisonic Wind Tunnel Facility. The first development flight of the GSLV (Mk I configuration) was launched on 18 April 2001 was a failure as the payload failed to reach the intended orbit parameters. The launcher was declared operational after the second development flight successfully launched the
GSAT-2 GSAT-2 was an experimental communication satellite built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and launched on one of the first GSLVs. The satellite was positioned at 48 deg east longitude in the geo-stationary orbit. Payloads GSAT- ...
satellite. During the initial years from the initial launch to 2014 the launcher had a checkered history with only 2 successful launches out of 7, resulting in the rocket gaining the nickname "naughty boy".


Cryogenic engine controversy

The third stage was to be procured from Russian company Glavkosmos, including transfer of technology and design details of the engine based on an agreement signed in 1991. Russia backed out of the deal after United States objected to the deal as in violation of the
Missile Technology Control Regime The Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) is a multilateral export control regime. It is an informal political understanding among 35 member states that seek to limit the proliferation of missiles and missile technology. The regime was formed ...
(MTCR) in May 1992. As a result, ISRO initiated the Cryogenic Upper Stage Project in April 1994 and began developing its own cryogenic engine. A new agreement was signed with Russia for 7 KVD-1 cryogenic stages and 1 ground mock-up stage with no technology transfer, instead of 5 cryogenic stages along with the technology and design as per the earlier agreement. These engines were used for the initial flights and were named GSLV Mk I.


Vehicle description

The tall GSLV, with a lift-off mass of , is a three-stage vehicle with solid, liquid and cryogenic stages respectively. The payload fairing, which is long and in diameter, protects the vehicle electronics and the spacecraft during its ascent through the atmosphere. It is discarded when the vehicle reaches an altitude of about . GSLV employs
S-band The S band is a designation by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for a part of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum covering frequencies from 2 to 4 gigahertz (GHz). Thus it crosses the convention ...
telemetry and C-band transponders for enabling vehicle performance monitoring, tracking, range safety / flight safety and preliminary orbit determination. The Redundant Strap Down Inertial Navigation System/Inertial Guidance System of GSLV housed in its equipment bay guides the vehicle from lift-off to spacecraft injection. The digital auto-pilot and closed loop guidance scheme ensure the required altitude maneuver and guide injection of the spacecraft to the specified orbit. The GSLV can place approximately into an easterly
low Earth orbit A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an geocentric orbit, orbit around Earth with a orbital period, period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an orbital eccentricity, eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial object ...
(LEO) or (for the Mk II version) into an 18°
geostationary transfer orbit In space mission design, a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) or geosynchronous transfer orbit is a highly elliptical type of geocentric orbit, usually with a perigee as low as low Earth orbit (LEO) and an apogee as high as geostationary orbit ...
.


Liquid boosters

The first GSLV flight, GSLV-D1 used the L40 stage. Subsequent flights of the GSLV used high pressure engines in the strap-on boosters called the L40H. The GSLV uses four L40H liquid strap-on boosters derived from the L37.5 second stage, which are loaded with 42.6 tons of
hypergolic A hypergolic propellant is a rocket propellant combination used in a rocket engine, whose components spontaneously ignite when they come into contact with each other. The two propellant components usually consist of a fuel and an oxidizer. The ...
propellants (
UDMH Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (abbreviated as UDMH; also known as 1,1-dimethylhydrazine, heptyl or Geptil) is a chemical compound with the formula H2NN(CH3)2 that is primarily used as a rocket propellant. At room temperature, UDMH is a colorle ...
and N2O4). The propellants are stored in tandem in two independent tanks diameter. The engine is pump-fed and generates of thrust, with a burn time of 150 seconds.


First stage

GSLV-D1 used the S125 stage which contained of solid propellant and had a burn time of 100 seconds. All subsequent launches have used enhanced propellant loaded S139 stage. The S139 stage is 2.8 m in diameter and has a nominal burn time of 100 seconds.


Second stage

The GS2 stage is powered by the Vikas engine. It has a diameter of .


Third stage

The third stage of the GSLV Mark II is propelled by the Indian CE-7.5 cryogenic rocket engine while the older defunct Mark I is propelled using a Russian made KVD-1. It uses liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX) The Indian cryogenic engine was built at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre. The engine has a default thrust of but is capable of a maximum thrust of . In GSLV-F14 mission, a new white coloured C15 stage was introduced which has more environmental-friendly manufacturing processes, better insulation properties and the use of lightweight materials.


Variants

GSLV rockets using the Russian Cryogenic Stage (CS) are designated as the GSLV Mark I while versions using the indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) are designated the GSLV Mark II. All GSLV launches have been conducted from the
Satish Dhawan Space Centre Satish Dhawan Space Centre – SDSC (formerly Sriharikota Range – SHAR) is the primary spaceport of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), located in Sriharikota, Tirupati district, Andhra Pradesh. The spaceport is located on an isl ...
in Sriharikota.


GSLV Mark I

The first developmental flight of GSLV Mark I had a 129 tonne (S125) first stage and was capable of launching around 1500 kg into
geostationary transfer orbit In space mission design, a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) or geosynchronous transfer orbit is a highly elliptical type of geocentric orbit, usually with a perigee as low as low Earth orbit (LEO) and an apogee as high as geostationary orbit ...
. The second developmental flight replaced the S125 stage with S139. It used the same solid motor with 138 tonne propellant loading. The chamber pressure in all liquid engines were enhanced, enabling a higher propellant mass and burn time. These improvements allowed GSLV to carry an additional 300 kg of payload. The fourth operational flight of GSLV Mark I, GSLV-F06, had a longer third stage called the C15 with 15 tonne propellant loading and also employed a diameter payload fairing.


GSLV Mark II

This variant uses an Indian cryogenic engine, the CE-7.5, and is capable of launching 2500 kg into geostationary transfer orbit. Previous GSLV vehicles (GSLV Mark I) have used Russian cryogenic engines. For launches from 2018, a 6% increased thrust version of the Vikas engine was developed. It was demonstrated on 29 March 2018 in the
GSAT-6A GSAT-6A was a communication satellite launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It featured a unfurlable S-band antenna similar to the one used on GSAT-6. Around 17 minutes after lift-off, the three stage GSLV Mk.II rocket flyi ...
launch second stage. It was used for the four Vikas engines first stage boosters on future missions. A 4m diameter Ogive payload fairing was developed and deployed for the first time in the EOS-03 launch on 12 August 2021, although this launch was a failure due to technical anomalies with the Cryogenic Upper Stage. This will allow GSLV vehicles to accommodate larger payloads. As of October 2024, ISRO has stopped selling GSLV Mk II Rockets. Eight known launches are planned with NVS Missions, IDRSS Missions,
NISAR The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission is a joint project between NASA and ISRO to co-develop and launch a dual-frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) on an Earth observation satellite in 2025. It will be the first radar im ...
Mission, etc.


RLV-OREX

The Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstration program, is a prototype
spaceplane A spaceplane is a vehicle that can flight, fly and gliding flight, glide as an aircraft in Earth's atmosphere and function as a spacecraft in outer space. To do so, spaceplanes must incorporate features of both aircraft and spacecraft. Orbit ...
concept created by ISRO. For the Orbital return Flight experiment, a modified version of the GSLV Mk. II launcher, with the upper Cryogenic Stage replaced with the PS-4 stage from the PSLV is currently in development, as the RLV won't need all the excess energy produced by the CUS .


Launch statistics

;Launch system status: ;Decade-wise summary of GSLV Launches:


Gallery


See also

* SSLV *
Comparison of orbital launchers families This article compares different orbital launcher families (launchers which are significantly different from other members of the same 'family' have separate entries). The article is organized into two tables: the first contains a list of currentl ...
*
Comparison of orbital launch systems This comparison of orbital launch systems lists the attributes of all current and future individual rocket configurations designed to reach orbit. A first list contains rockets that are operational or have attempted an orbital flight attempt as o ...
*
PSLV The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is an expendable medium-lift launch vehicle designed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite ...
*
LVM3 The Launch Vehicle Mark-3 or LVM3 (previously referred as the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III or GSLV Mk III) is a Multistage rocket, three-stage medium-lift launch vehicle developed by the ISRO, Indian Space Research Organisati ...
* NGLV *
ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister o ...
* ASLV * SLV


References


External links


ISRO GSLV Page



12KRB (KVD-1) Upper Stage at Khrunichev Space Center
{{Indian space programme ISRO space launch vehicles 2001 in spaceflight Satish Dhawan Space Centre Vehicles introduced in 2001 Expendable space launch systems