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) satellites into Sun-synchronous orbits, a service that was, until the advent of the PSLV in 1993, only commercially available from Russia. PSLV can also launch small size satellites into Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO).[11]
Function
ISRO
India
44 m (144 ft)
2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)
PSLV-G: 295,000 kg (650,000 lb)
PSLV-CA: 230,000 kg (510,000 lb)
PSLV-XL: 320,000 kg (710,000 lb)[2]
4
Active
57
2
1
- PSLV-G: 20 September 1993
- PSLV-CA: 23 April 2007
- PSLV-XL: 22 October 2008
- PSLV-DL: 24 January 2019
- PSLV-QL: 1 April 2019
- PSLV-G: 26 September 2016
- PSLV-CA: 30 July 2023
- PSLV-XL: 2 September 2023
- PSLV-DL: 1 January 2024
- PSLV-QL: 11 December 2019
6
510 kN (110,000 lbf)
262 s (2.57 km/s)
44 s
6 (XL)
4 (QL)
2 (DL)
12 m (39 ft)[7]
1 m (3 ft 3 in)
12,200 kg (26,900 lb) each
off
703.5 kN (158,200 lbf)[8]
4,221 kN (949,000 lbf) (XL)
2,814 kN (633,000 lbf) (QL)
1,407 kN (316,000 lbf) (DL)
262 s (2.57 km/s)
70 s
20 m (66 ft)[7]
2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)
4,846.9 kN (1,089,600 lbf)[8]
110 s
12.8 m (42 ft)[7]
2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)
42,000 kg (93,000 lb) each[7]
1 Vikas
803.7 kN (180,700 lbf)[8]
293 s (2.87 km/s)
133 s
3.6 m (12 ft)[7]
2 m (6 ft 7 in)
7,600 kg (16,800 lb) each[7]
S-7[9]
250 kN (56,000 lbf)
295 s (2.89 km/s)
113.5 s[10]
3 m (9.8 ft)[7]
1.3 m (4 ft 3 in)
2,500 kg (5,500 lb) each[7]
2 x L-2-5[9]
14.66 kN (3,300 lbf)[8]
308 s (3.02 km/s)
525 s
Some notable payloads launched by PSLV include India's first lunar probe Chandrayaan-1, India's first interplanetary mission, Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), India's first space observatory, Astrosat and India's first Solar mission, Aditya-L1.[2]
PSLV has gained credibility as a leading provider of rideshare services for small satellites, owing to its numerous multi-satellite deployment campaigns with auxiliary payloads, usually ride-sharing along with an Indian primary payload.[12] As of June 2022, PSLV has launched 345 foreign satellites from 36 countries.[13] Most notable among these was the launch of PSLV-C37 on 15 February 2017, successfully deploying 104 satellites in Sun-synchronous orbit, tripling the previous record held by Russia for the highest number of satellites sent to space on a single launch,[14][15] until 24 January 2021, when SpaceX launched the Transporter-1 mission on a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 143 satellites into orbit.[16]
Payloads can be integrated in tandem configuration employing a Dual Launch Adapter.[17][18] Smaller payloads are also placed on equipment deck and customized payload adapters.[19]