Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
Encyclopedia
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle , commonly known by its abbreviation PSLV, is an expendable launch system
developed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO). It was developed to allow India
to launch its Indian Remote Sensing
(IRS) satellites into sun synchronous orbits, a service that was, until the advent of the PSLV, commercially viable only from Russia
. PSLV can also launch small size satellites into geostationary transfer orbit
(GTO). The PSLV has launched 41 satellites (19 Indian and 22 from other countries) into a variety of orbits to date.
PSLV costs 17 million USD flyaway cost for each launch.
(VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram
, Kerala
. The inertial systems are developed by ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) at Thiruvananthapuram. The liquid propulsion stages for the second and fourth stages of PSLV as well as the reaction control systems are developed by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre
(LPSC
), also at Thiruvananthapuram. The solid propellant motors are processed at Satish Dhawan Space Centre
SHAR, which also carries out launch operations.
After some delays, the PSLV had its first launch on 20 September 1993. Although all main engines performed as expected, an altitude control problem was reported in the second and third stages. After this initial setback, ISRO met complete success with the third developmental launch in 1996. Further successful launches followed in 1997, 1999, and 2001.
PSLV continues to be the work horse of Indian satellite launches, especially for LEO satellites. It has undergone several improvements with each subsequent version, especially those involving thrust, efficiency as well as weight.
(HTPB) bound propellant with a diameter of 2.8 m. The motor case is made of maraging steel
. The booster develops a maximum thrust of about 4,430 kN. Six strap-on motors, four of which are ignited on the ground, augment the first stage thrust. Each of these solid propellant strap-on motors carries nine tonnes of HTPB propellant and produces 677 kN thrust. Pitch and yaw control of the PSLV during the thrust phase of the solid motor is achieved by injection of an aqueous solution of strontium
perchlorate in the nozzle to constitute Secondary Injection Thrust Vector Control System (SITVC). The injection is stored in two cylindrical aluminum tanks strapped to the solid rocket motor and pressurized with nitrogen. There are two additional small liquid engine control power plants in the first stage, the Roll Control Thrusters (RCT), fixed radially opposite one on each side, between the triplet set of strap-on boosters. RCT is used for roll
control during the first stage and the SITVC in two strap-on motors is for roll control augmentation.
The second stage employs the Vikas engine and carries 41.5 tonnes (40 tonnes till C-5 mission) of liquid propellant Unsymmetrical Di-Methyl Hydrazine (UDMH) as fuel and Nitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) as oxidizer. It generates a maximum thrust of 800 kN (724 till C-5 mission). Pitch & yaw control is obtained by hydraulically gimbaled engine (±4°) and two hot gas reaction control for roll.
The third stage uses 7 tonnes of HTPB-based solid propellant and produces a maximum thrust of 324 kN. It has a Kevlar-polyamide fiber case and a submerged nozzle equipped with a flex-bearing-seal gimbaled nozzle (±2°) thrust-vector engine for pitch & yaw control. For roll control it uses the RCS (Reaction Control System) of fourth stage.
The fourth and the terminal stage of PSLV has a twin engine configuration using liquid propellant. With a propellant loading of 2 tonnes (Mono-Methyl Hydrazine as fuel + Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen as oxidiser), each of these engines generates a maximum thrust of 7.4 kN. Engine is gimbaled (±3°) for pitch, yaw & roll control and for control during the coast phase uses on-off RCS. PSLV-C4 used a new lightweight carbon composite payload adapter to enable a greater GTO payload capability.
PSLV is developed with a group of wide-range control units.
.
PSLV (Operational)
The standard version of the PSLV has four stages using solid and liquid propulsion systems alternately and six strap-on boosters. It currently has capability to launch 1,678 kg to 622 km into sun synchronous orbit.
PSLV-CA (Operational)
The PSLV-CA, CA meaning "Core Alone", model premiered on April 23, 2007. The CA model does not include the six strap-on boosters used by the PSLV standard variant. Two small roll control modules and two first stage motor control injection tanks were still attached to the side of the first stage. The fourth stage of the CA variant has 400 kg less propellant when compared to its standard version. It currently has capability to launch 1,100 kg to 622 km sun synchronous orbit.
PSLV-XL (Operational)
PSLV-XL is the uprated version of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle in its standard configuration boosted by more powerful, stretched strap-on boosters. Weighing 320 tonnes at lift-off, the vehicle uses larger strap-on motors (PSOM-XL) to achieve higher payload capability. PSOM-XL uses larger 13.5m, 12 tonnes of solid propellants instead of 9 tonnes used in the earlier configuration of PSLV. On 29 December 2005, ISRO successfully tested the improved version of strap-on booster for the PSLV. The first version of PSLV-XL was the launch of Chandrayaan-1 by PSLV-C11. The payload capability for this variant is 1800 kg compared to 1600 kg for the other variants. Future launches include the RISAT
Radar Imaging Satellite.
PSLV-HP (Under development / Proposed)
As reported on the website of The New Indian Express
newspaper (April 26, 2007), PSLV project director N Narayanamoorthy spoke of another version being planned called the PSLV-HP, standing for ‘high performance.’ It will have improved strap-ons motors, and the payload capability will be raised to 2000 kg. The HP version will be used to launch a constellation of seven navigation satellites between 2010 and 2012. Among other things, the efficiency of the stage 4 engine will be improved in this version.
PSLV-3S (Under development / Proposed)
ISRO is also considering the development of a three-stage version of the rocket without six strap-on boosters (with the second stage of the four-stage version removed) which will be capable of placing 500 kg to LEO
.
'*'FLP - First Launch Pad, Satish Dhawan Space Centre
; **SLP - Second Launch Pad, Satish Dhawan Space Centre
Expendable launch system
An expendable launch system is a launch system that uses an expendable launch vehicle to carry a payload into space. The vehicles used in expendable launch systems are designed to be used only once , and their components are not recovered for re-use after launch...
developed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation
Indian Space Research Organisation
The Indian Space Research Organisation is an independent Indian governmental agency established in 1969 for the research and development of vehicles and activities for the exploration of space within and outside of Earth’s atmosphere. Headquartered in Bangalore...
(ISRO). It was developed to allow India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to launch its Indian Remote Sensing
Indian Remote Sensing satellite
Indian Remote Sensing satellites are a series of Earth Observation satellites, built, launched and maintained by Indian Space Research Organisation...
(IRS) satellites into sun synchronous orbits, a service that was, until the advent of the PSLV, commercially viable only from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. PSLV can also launch small size satellites into geostationary transfer orbit
Geostationary transfer orbit
A geosynchronous transfer orbit or geostationary transfer orbit is a Hohmann transfer orbit used to reach geosynchronous or geostationary orbit....
(GTO). The PSLV has launched 41 satellites (19 Indian and 22 from other countries) into a variety of orbits to date.
PSLV costs 17 million USD flyaway cost for each launch.
Development
PSLV has been designed and developed at Vikram Sarabhai Space CentreVikram Sarabhai Space Centre
The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre is a major space research centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation , focusing on rocket and space vehicles for India's satellite programme...
(VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. The inertial systems are developed by ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) at Thiruvananthapuram. The liquid propulsion stages for the second and fourth stages of PSLV as well as the reaction control systems are developed by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre
Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre
The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre , located at three places, Valiyamala, near Nedumangad in Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala, Mahendragiri in Thirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu and Bangaluru, Karnataka...
(LPSC
Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre
The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre , located at three places, Valiyamala, near Nedumangad in Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala, Mahendragiri in Thirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu and Bangaluru, Karnataka...
), also at Thiruvananthapuram. The solid propellant motors are processed at Satish Dhawan Space Centre
Satish Dhawan Space Centre
The Satish Dhawan Space Centre is the launch centre for the Indian Space Research Organisation . It is located in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, India, north of Chennai in South India. It was originally called Sriharikota High Altitude Range , and was sometime known as Sriharikota Launching Range...
SHAR, which also carries out launch operations.
After some delays, the PSLV had its first launch on 20 September 1993. Although all main engines performed as expected, an altitude control problem was reported in the second and third stages. After this initial setback, ISRO met complete success with the third developmental launch in 1996. Further successful launches followed in 1997, 1999, and 2001.
PSLV continues to be the work horse of Indian satellite launches, especially for LEO satellites. It has undergone several improvements with each subsequent version, especially those involving thrust, efficiency as well as weight.
Vehicle description
The PSLV has four stages using solid and liquid propulsion systems alternately. The first stage is one of the largest solid-fuel rocket boosters in the world and carries 138 tonnes of Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadieneHydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene
Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene is a polymer of butadiene terminated at each end with a hydroxyl functional group. It reacts with diisocyanate to form polyurethane, a stable and easily stored synthetic material....
(HTPB) bound propellant with a diameter of 2.8 m. The motor case is made of maraging steel
Maraging steel
Maraging steels are steels which are known for possessing superior strength and toughness without losing malleability, although they cannot hold a good cutting edge. Aging refers to the extended heat-treatment process...
. The booster develops a maximum thrust of about 4,430 kN. Six strap-on motors, four of which are ignited on the ground, augment the first stage thrust. Each of these solid propellant strap-on motors carries nine tonnes of HTPB propellant and produces 677 kN thrust. Pitch and yaw control of the PSLV during the thrust phase of the solid motor is achieved by injection of an aqueous solution of strontium
Strontium
Strontium is a chemical element with the symbol Sr and the atomic number 38. An alkaline earth metal, strontium is a soft silver-white or yellowish metallic element that is highly reactive chemically. The metal turns yellow when exposed to air. It occurs naturally in the minerals celestine and...
perchlorate in the nozzle to constitute Secondary Injection Thrust Vector Control System (SITVC). The injection is stored in two cylindrical aluminum tanks strapped to the solid rocket motor and pressurized with nitrogen. There are two additional small liquid engine control power plants in the first stage, the Roll Control Thrusters (RCT), fixed radially opposite one on each side, between the triplet set of strap-on boosters. RCT is used for roll
Roll program
A roll program or tilt maneuver is an aerodynamic maneuver that alters the attitude of a vertically-launched space launch vehicle. The maneuver is used to place the spacecraft on a proper heading toward its intended orbit....
control during the first stage and the SITVC in two strap-on motors is for roll control augmentation.
The second stage employs the Vikas engine and carries 41.5 tonnes (40 tonnes till C-5 mission) of liquid propellant Unsymmetrical Di-Methyl Hydrazine (UDMH) as fuel and Nitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) as oxidizer. It generates a maximum thrust of 800 kN (724 till C-5 mission). Pitch & yaw control is obtained by hydraulically gimbaled engine (±4°) and two hot gas reaction control for roll.
The third stage uses 7 tonnes of HTPB-based solid propellant and produces a maximum thrust of 324 kN. It has a Kevlar-polyamide fiber case and a submerged nozzle equipped with a flex-bearing-seal gimbaled nozzle (±2°) thrust-vector engine for pitch & yaw control. For roll control it uses the RCS (Reaction Control System) of fourth stage.
The fourth and the terminal stage of PSLV has a twin engine configuration using liquid propellant. With a propellant loading of 2 tonnes (Mono-Methyl Hydrazine as fuel + Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen as oxidiser), each of these engines generates a maximum thrust of 7.4 kN. Engine is gimbaled (±3°) for pitch, yaw & roll control and for control during the coast phase uses on-off RCS. PSLV-C4 used a new lightweight carbon composite payload adapter to enable a greater GTO payload capability.
PSLV is developed with a group of wide-range control units.
| Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitch | SITVC | Engine Gimbal | Flex Nozzle | Engine Gimbal |
| Yaw | SITVC | Engine Gimbal | Flex Nozzle | Engine Gimbal |
| Roll | RCT and SITVC in 2 PSOMs | HRCM Hot Gas Reaction Control Motor | PS4 RCS | PS4 RCS |
Variants
ISRO has envisaged a number of variants of PSLV to cater to different mission requirements. There are currently three operational versions of the PSLV — the standard (PSLV), the core-alone (PSLV-CA) without the six strap-on booster motors, and the (PSLV-XL) version, which carries more solid fuel in its strap-on motors than the standard version. All the three versions have proved to be unalloyed successes. These configurations provide wide variations in payload capabilities ranging from 600 kg in LEO to 1900 kg in sun synchronous orbitSun-synchronous orbit
A Sun-synchronous orbit is a geocentric orbit which combines altitude and inclination in such a way that an object on that orbit ascends or descends over any given point of the Earth's surface at the same local mean solar time. The surface illumination angle will be nearly the same every time...
.
PSLV (Operational)
The standard version of the PSLV has four stages using solid and liquid propulsion systems alternately and six strap-on boosters. It currently has capability to launch 1,678 kg to 622 km into sun synchronous orbit.
PSLV-CA (Operational)
The PSLV-CA, CA meaning "Core Alone", model premiered on April 23, 2007. The CA model does not include the six strap-on boosters used by the PSLV standard variant. Two small roll control modules and two first stage motor control injection tanks were still attached to the side of the first stage. The fourth stage of the CA variant has 400 kg less propellant when compared to its standard version. It currently has capability to launch 1,100 kg to 622 km sun synchronous orbit.
PSLV-XL (Operational)
PSLV-XL is the uprated version of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle in its standard configuration boosted by more powerful, stretched strap-on boosters. Weighing 320 tonnes at lift-off, the vehicle uses larger strap-on motors (PSOM-XL) to achieve higher payload capability. PSOM-XL uses larger 13.5m, 12 tonnes of solid propellants instead of 9 tonnes used in the earlier configuration of PSLV. On 29 December 2005, ISRO successfully tested the improved version of strap-on booster for the PSLV. The first version of PSLV-XL was the launch of Chandrayaan-1 by PSLV-C11. The payload capability for this variant is 1800 kg compared to 1600 kg for the other variants. Future launches include the RISAT
RISAT
RISAT is a series of Indian radar imaging reconnaissance satellites built by ISRO. They provide all-weather surveillance using synthetic aperture radars ....
Radar Imaging Satellite.
| Variant | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSLV (Standard) | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | |
| PSLV-CA (Core Alone) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | Launched 10 satellites in one go. |
| PSLV-XL (Extended) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Launched Chandrayaan I. |
PSLV-HP (Under development / Proposed)
As reported on the website of The New Indian Express
The New Indian Express
The New Indian Express is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as the Indian Express, under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naidu. In 1991, following the death of the then owner Ramnath Goenka, the Goenka...
newspaper (April 26, 2007), PSLV project director N Narayanamoorthy spoke of another version being planned called the PSLV-HP, standing for ‘high performance.’ It will have improved strap-ons motors, and the payload capability will be raised to 2000 kg. The HP version will be used to launch a constellation of seven navigation satellites between 2010 and 2012. Among other things, the efficiency of the stage 4 engine will be improved in this version.
PSLV-3S (Under development / Proposed)
ISRO is also considering the development of a three-stage version of the rocket without six strap-on boosters (with the second stage of the four-stage version removed) which will be capable of placing 500 kg to LEO
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
.
Launch history
| Flight | Variant | Launch date/time (UTC) | Launch Pad | Payload | Payload Mass | Result | Note(s) |
| D1 | PSLV | 20 September 1993 | Sriharikota Sriharikota Sriharikota is a barrier island off the coast of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It houses India's only satellite launch centre in the Satish Dhawan Space Centre and is used by the Indian Space Research Organisation to launch satellites using multi-stage rockets such as the Polar... FLP* |
 IRS 1EIndian Remote Sensing satellite Indian Remote Sensing satellites are a series of Earth Observation satellites, built, launched and maintained by Indian Space Research Organisation... |
846 kg | First development flight. Software error causes the vehicle to crash in to the Bay of Bengal 700 seconds after take off. |
|
| D2 | PSLV | 15 October 1994 | Sriharikota FLP* | IRS P2 Indian Remote Sensing satellite Indian Remote Sensing satellites are a series of Earth Observation satellites, built, launched and maintained by Indian Space Research Organisation... |
804 kg | First successful development flight. | |
| D3 | PSLV | 21 March 1996 | Sriharikota FLP* | IRS P3 Indian Remote Sensing satellite Indian Remote Sensing satellites are a series of Earth Observation satellites, built, launched and maintained by Indian Space Research Organisation... |
920 kg | ||
| C1 | PSLV | 29 September 1997 | Sriharikota FLP* | IRS 1D Indian Remote Sensing satellite Indian Remote Sensing satellites are a series of Earth Observation satellites, built, launched and maintained by Indian Space Research Organisation... |
1,250 kg | Helium leak resulted in lower than planned orbit, spacecraft still usable | |
| C2 | PSLV | 26 May 1999 | Sriharikota FLP* | OceanSat 1 Indian Remote Sensing satellite Indian Remote Sensing satellites are a series of Earth Observation satellites, built, launched and maintained by Indian Space Research Organisation...  DLR-Tubsat KitSat 3 |
1,050 kg 107 kg 45 kg |
First successful commercial flight. | |
| C3 | PSLV | 22 October 2001 | Sriharikota FLP* | TES Technology Experiment Satellite Technology Experiment Satellite or is an experimental satellite to demonstrate and validate, in orbit, technologies that could be used in the future satellites of Indian Space Research Organization . TES weighs 1108 kg and was successfully placed in 568 km sun synchronous orbit on ...  Proba BIRD |
1,108 kg 94 kg 92 kg |
Speculated as a Spy Satellite. | |
| C4 | PSLV | 12 September 2002 | Sriharikota FLP* | METSAT 1 (Kalpana 1) Indian National Satellite System INSAT or the Indian National Satellite System is a series of multipurpose Geo-stationary satellites launched by ISRO to satisfy the telecommunications, broadcasting, meteorology, and search and rescue operations.... |
1,060 kg | First launch to Geostationary transfer orbit. | |
| C5 | PSLV | 17 October 2003 | Sriharikota FLP* | ResourceSat 1 RESOURCESAT-1 RESOURCESAT-1 is an advanced remote sensing satellite built by Indian Space Research Organization. The tenth satellite of ISRO in IRS series, RESOURCESAT-1 is intended to not only continue the remote sensing data services provided by IRS-1C and IRS-1D, both of which have far outlived their... |
1,360 kg | ||
| C6 | PSLV | 5 May 2005 | Sriharikota SLP** | CartoSat 1 CARTOSAT-1 Cartosat-1 is a stereoscopic Earth observation satellite in a sun-synchronous orbit. The satellite was built, launched and maintained by the Indian Space Research Organisation. Weighing around 1560 kg at launch, its applications will mainly be towards cartography in India. It was launched by... HAMSATHAMSAT HAMSAT also known as HAMSAT INDIA and VU2SAT is a microsatellite weighing , providing amateur radio communications services for Indian and international amateur radio operators. This satellite carries the in-orbit designation of VO-52, and is an OSCAR series satellite.It was launched by PSLV-C6 on... |
1560 kg 42.5 kg |
First launch from Second launch pad | |
| C7 | PSLV | 10 January 2007 | Sriharikota FLP* | CartoSat 2 CARTOSAT-2 Cartosat-2 is an Earth observation satellite in a sun-synchronous orbit. The satellite was built, launched and maintained by the Indian Space Research Organisation. Weighing around 680 kg at launch, its applications will mainly be towards cartography in India... SRESpace Capsule Recovery Experiment The Space Capsule Recovery Experiment is an Indian experimental spacecraft which was launched at 03:53 GMT on January 10, 2007 from Sriharikota by the Indian Space Research Organization . The launch was conducted using the PSLV C7 rocket, along with three other satellites...  LAPAN-TUBsat PEHUENSAT-1 |
680 kg 500 kg 56 kg 6 kg> |
Used a device called 'Dual Launch Adapter' for the first time to launch four satellites. LAPAN-TUBsat is Indonesia’s first remote sensing satellite. |
|
| C8 | PSLV-CA | 23 April 2007 | Sriharikota SLP** |  AGILEAGILE (spacecraft) AGILE is an X-ray and Gamma ray astronomical satellite of the Italian Space Agency .ASI has made contact with AGILE: signals from it have been acquired by the ground station at the Broglio Space Centre near Malindi, Kenya and it has been placed in a sun-pointing mode.... AAMAdvanced Avionics Module Advanced Avionics Module or AAM was a module launched on board PSLV-C8 along with Italian satellite AGILE. It was designed by ISRO to test advanced launch vehicle avionics systems like mission computers, navigation and telemetry systems. At lift-off, it weighed 185 kg.It was mounted inside... |
352 kg 185 kg |
First flight of the 'Core-Alone' version. ISRO's first exclusively commercial launch. |
|
| C10 | PSLV-CA | 21 January 2008 | Sriharikota FLP* |  TECSARTecSAR TecSAR, also known as TechSAR, Polaris and Ofek-8, is an Israeli reconnaissance satellite, equipped with synthetic aperture radar developed by Elta Systems... |
295 kg | An Israeli reconnaissance satellite. | |
| C9 | PSLV-CA | 28 April 2008 | Sriharikota SLP** | Cartosat-2A Cartosat-2A Cartosat-2A is an Earth observation satellite in a sun-synchronous orbit. The satellite is the thirteenth satellite in the Indian Remote Sensing satellite series to be built, launched and maintained by the Indian Space Research Organisation... IMS-1/TWSATIMS-1 IMS-1 is an Earth observation satellite in a sun-synchronous orbit. The satellite which is the fourteenth satellite in the Indian Remote Sensing satellite series has been built, launched and maintained by the Indian Space Research Organisation... RUBIN-8RUBIN-8 RUBIN-8, also known as RUBIN-AIS , is a German space experiment package, built by OHB-System, which was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation, aboard a PSLV rocket, on 28 April 2008...  CanX-6/NTS CanX-2 Cute-1.7+APD IICUTE-1.7 CUTE-1.7 + APD or CO-56 is an amateur radio nanosatellite in the form of a double CubeSat. The satellite uses commercial off-the-shelf components extensively, in particular, using the Hitachi NPD-20JWL PDA as a control computer, and using a USB hub for sensor communications...  Delfi-C3Delfi-C3 Delfi-C3 is a CubeSat satellite constructed by students at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. It is a 3-unit CubeSat, and was launched at 03:53:42 on 28 April 2008, as part of the NLS-4 mission, aboard a PSLV rocket, from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre... SEEDS-2SEEDS-2 The Space Engineering EDucation Satellite 2 is a Japanese amateur CubeSat picosatellite, built and operated by Nihon University. It was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation, aboard a PSLV rocket, on 28 April 2008... COMPASS-1COMPASS-1 COMPASS-1 is a German amateur CubeSat picosatellite, built and operated by Aachen University of Applied Science. It was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation, aboard a PSLV rocket, on 28 April 2008...  AAUSAT-IIAAUSAT-II AAUSAT-II is the second student-built CubeSat built and operated by students from Aalborg University in Denmark. It was launched 28 April 2008 05:54 UTC from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India on a PSLV rocket... |
690 kg 83 kg 8 kg 6.5 kg 3.5 kg 3 kg 2.2 kg 1 kg 1 kg 0.75 kg |
World Record for most satellites (10) launched in a single attempt. | |
| C11 | PSLV-XL | 22 October 2008 | Sriharikota SLP** | Chandrayaan I |
1,380 kg | First flight of the PSLV-XL version. India's first mission to the Moon. |
|
| C12 | PSLV-CA | 20 April 2009 | Sriharikota SLP** | RISAT-2 RISAT-2 RISAT-2, or Radar Imaging Satellite 2 is an Indian radar reconnaissance satellite that is part of India's RISAT programme. It was successfully launched aboard a PSLV-CA at 01:15 GMT on April 20, 2009 from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre... ANUSATANUSAT The Anna University Satellite, or ANUSAT is an Indian student research microsatellite designed, developed & integrated at Aerospace Engineering, Madras Institute of Technology, Chromepet, Anna University. It carries an amateur radio and technology demonstration experiments... |
300 kg 40 kg |
India's first all weather observation spy satellite. ANUSAT is the first satellite built by an Indian University. |
|
| C14 | PSLV-CA | 23 September 2009 | Sriharikota FLP* | Oceansat-2 Oceansat-2 Oceansat-2 is an Indian satellite designed to provide service continuity for operational users of the Ocean Colour Monitor instrument on Oceansat-1. It will also enhance the potential of applications in other areas...  Rubin 9.1 Rubin 9.2 SwissCube-1 BeeSat UWE-2 ITUpSAT1ITUpSAT1 ITUpSAT1 is a single CubeSat built by Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics of the Istanbul Technical University. It was launched on September 23, 2009 using PSLV from India and became the first Turkish university satellite to orbit the Earth... |
960 kg 8 kg 8 kg 1 kg> 1 kg 1 kg 1 kg |
Rubin 9.1 and 9.2 were non-separable payloads, orbited attached to the vehicle's fourth stage. SwissCube-1 and ITUpSAT1 are Switzerland's and Turkey's first home-grown satellites launched into space. |
|
| C15 | PSLV-CA | July 12, 2010 | Sriharikota FLP* | Cartosat-2B Cartosat-2B CARTOSAT 2B is an Earth observation satellite in a sun-synchronous orbit. The satellite is the seventeenth satellite in the Indian Remote Sensing satellite series to be built by the Indian Space Research Organisation...  ALSAT-2A  AISSat-1AISSat-1 AISSat-1 is a Norwegian satellite that was launched from India on July 12, 2010 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The satellite's aim is to improve maritime safety in the Northern sea. The satellite, which is an experimental satellite, will receive and forward signals from an Automatic... TIsat-1 STUDSAT |
690 kg 117 kg 6.5 kg 1 kg |
Main satellite Cartosat-2B and Algeria's ALSAT-2A along with AISSat-1, TIsat-1, and StudSat. TIsat-1 is the second ever Swiss satellite launched into Space. AISSat-1 and TIsat are part of NLS-6. |
|
| C16 | PSLV | 20 April 2011 | Sriharikota | ResourceSat-2 Resourcesat-2 Resourcesat-2 is a follow on mission to Resourcesat-1 and and the eighteenth Remote Sensing satellite built by ISRO.RESOURCESAT-2 is intended to continue the remote sensing data services to global users provided by RESOURCESAT-1, and to provide data with enhanced multispectral and spatial coverage...  X-SatX-Sat X-Sat is a microsatellite developed and built by the NTU in collaboration with Defence Science Organisation singapore....  YouthSatYouthsat YouthSat is a Russian-Indian scientific-educational artificial satellite developed on the basis of an agreement between the Russian Federal Space Agency and the Indian Space Research Organisation... |
1206 kg 106 kg 92 kg |
In the current flight, the standard version, with six solid strap-on booster motors strung around the first stage, was used. |
|
| C17 | PSLV-XL | 15 July 2011 | Sriharikota SLP** | GSAT-12 GSAT-12 GSAT-12 is communication satellite developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation, as part of INSAT system. GSAT-12 had been launched on July 15th , 2011... |
1410 kg | Indigenously developed flight computer 'Vikram' used for the first time. | |
| C18 | PSLV-CA | 12 October 2011 11:00:00 IST | Sriharikota |  Megha-TropiquesMegha-Tropiques Mission Megha-Tropiques is a satellite mission to study the water cycle in the tropical atmosphere in the context of climate change A collaborative effort between Indian Space Research Organisation and French Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales , Megha-Tropiques was successfully deployed into orbit by... SRMSAT JugnuJugnu (satellite) Jugnu , is an Indian technology demonstration and remote sensing satellite which will be operated by the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. It is a nanosatellite which will be used to provide data for agriculture and disaster monitoring. It is a spacecraft, which measures in length by in... VesselSat-1 |
1000 kg 10.9 kg 3 kg 28.7 kg |
The Megha-Tropiques Megha-Tropiques Mission Megha-Tropiques is a satellite mission to study the water cycle in the tropical atmosphere in the context of climate change A collaborative effort between Indian Space Research Organisation and French Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales , Megha-Tropiques was successfully deployed into orbit by... satellite for climate research launched along with three micro-satellites: the SRMSAT built by the SRM University, Chennai, the remote sensing satellite Jugnu Jugnu (satellite) Jugnu , is an Indian technology demonstration and remote sensing satellite which will be operated by the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. It is a nanosatellite which will be used to provide data for agriculture and disaster monitoring. It is a spacecraft, which measures in length by in... from the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur and the VesselSat-1 of Luxembourg Luxembourg Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south... to locate ships on high seas. |
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| C19 | PSLV | Jan 2012 | Sriharikota | RISAT-1 RISAT-1 RISAT-1 is the first of the RISAT series of Indian remote sensing satellites built by the Indian Space Research Organisation . The satellite uses a Synthetic Aperture Radar for all-weather earth observation.While the RISAT-1 was the first satellite of the RISAT series to be built, it will be the... |
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| C20 | PSLV | April 2012 | Sriharikota | Astrosat Astrosat Astrosat is India's first dedicated astronomy satellite and is scheduled to launch on board the PSLV in 2012. After the success of the satellite-borne Indian X-ray Astronomy Experiment , which was launched in 1996, the Indian Space Research Organization has approved further development for a full... |
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'*'FLP - First Launch Pad, Satish Dhawan Space Centre
Satish Dhawan Space Centre First Launch Pad
The First Launch Pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre is a rocket launch site in Sriharikota, India. It is used by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle rockets. It is one of two orbital launch pads at the site, the other being the Second Launch Pad, which...
; **SLP - Second Launch Pad, Satish Dhawan Space Centre
Satish Dhawan Space Centre Second Launch Pad
The Second Launch Pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre is a rocket launch site in Sriharikota, India. It is the second of two launch pads at the centre, the other being the First Launch Pad...