India gets another step closer to putting man in space on its own with the successful experimental launch of GSLV-Mark III. This is the second mission of the GSLV rocket during the last four years after two such launches failed in 2010. Earlier this year ISRO had launched GSLV D5. This is a grand success as India was denied cryogenic technology under pressure from US and also had to suffer failure with indigenous cryogenic engine flight earlier.
Only USA, Russia and China possess the technology of sending humans into space, at present. The full development of this launch vehicle is still some 3 years away and a Man-mission will take a decade more.
Specifications of GSLV MARK III
● Launch vehicle which has been conceived and designed to make ISRO fully self reliant in launching heavier communication satellites of INSAT-4 class, which weigh 4500 to 5000 kg.
● 42.4 m tall with a lift off weight of 630 tonnes. It is shorter than GSLV, and the heaviest built by ISRO.
● It is a three stage vehicle .
- First stage – Solid Propellant
- Second Stage – Liquid propellant – used indigenous VIKAS engine.
- Third stage – Cryogenic Engine – It will be an entirely indegenous engine. Non functional in the experiment carried out recently. It is still under development. Should be ready by 2015.
● First time ISRO was carrying a payload weighing over three tonne.
● The launcher had carried its payload—the 3,775kg cupcake-shaped Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment (CARE)—to the intended height of 126km. At this point, CARE separated from the upper stage of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III and re-entered the atmosphere and safely splashed down at the designated spot in the Bay of Bengal with the help of its parachutes.CARE will be recovered by the Indian Coast Guard tracking its beacon signal. No live crew was there this time around. CARE will be used to as a platform for testing the re-entry technologies and parachute deployment.
How will GSLV MARK III be useful ?
● The experimental launch was to primarily study the atmospheric performance of GSLV Mk III in the first two stages.
● The country can save a massive amount of the foreign exchange it presently is spending to send its heavy communication satellites through other space agencies aboard. At present, ISRO depends on costly foreign launchers to put its 3-tonne communication satellites into space. Our competitors are far ahead with China having launch vehicles of 5.5 tonnes capacity, Europe 11 tonnes capacity, US 13 tonnes capacity and Russia capable of carrying nearly 10 tonnes.
● The heavy launch vehicle would also help India earn considerable foreign exchange by sending heavy satellites for other countries, in addition to the revenue PSLV rockets are already securing for ISRO’s commercial arm Antrix Corporation Limited.
● This experiment has helped the space agency to test the module for safe return of humans from space. Also, it will be used to as a platform for testing the re-entry technologies and parachute deployment.
● It has the potential of putting four-tonne communication satellites into orbit, almost double the capacity of the current GSLV. The existing GSLV-Mark I & II runs out of depth in putting satellites over 2500 kg into the geosynchronous transfer orbit. They are used to place INSAT–II class of satellites.
● The vehicle will have multi-mission launch capability for Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit, low earth (polar) and intermediate circular orbits i.e medium earth orbit. Wondering what GTO is ? Whenever you want to attain geostationary Earth orbits, a spacecraft is first launched into a highly elliptical orbit. This is called a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
Leave a Reply