ISRO's biggest rocket, GSLV Mark III, to launch today: Here's why it's a big deal
The countdown has begun for ISRO's biggest-ever launch vehicle take-off. The GSLV Mark III rocket, which weighs as much as 200 full-grown Asian elephants or five loaded jumbo jets, will embark on its maiden flight from Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota at 5.28pm.
The 43.43m-tall GSLV Mark III weighing 640 tonne is the heaviest that India has used till date, and the payload it will carry is the GSAT-19 communications satellite which, at 3,136kg.
It uses ISRO's indigenous cryogenic engine, developed by the space exploration body after decades of work. The powerful engine allows it to lift up to 4,000kg of payload to the geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) and 10,000kg to the low-Earth orbit.
The successful launch of the GSLV Mark III today will be a landmark for ISRO, which has previously used foreign launch vehicles for transporting its heavier communication satellites into space. It will give ISRO a rocket that could, in the future, be used for manned space exploration projects.
What about the payload?
Today's mission is of great importance as it carries the single GSAT-19 satellite, a significant upgrade from older communications satellites in the sky. That is, the GSAT-19 will be equivalent to having a constellation of six to seven of the older communications satellites in space.
What is phenomenal is that it will be the first to provide "internet services using a space-based platform".
Hence, GSLV Mark III's successful launch and the smooth deployment of the payload will not just be an important landmark for ISRO, but it's also great news for the international community.
What makes GSLV-Mark III fly?
What powers the monster GSLV-Mark III is ISRO's high-thrust, cryogenic engine CE-20, which has been developed after 30 years of research.
The engine works on “Gas Generator Cycle” technology and is one of the most powerful cryogenic engines of upper stages in the world.
It was developed at ISRO's Chennai facility. The thrust power of the bigger cryogenic engine is 19.5 tonne as compared to 7.5 tonne of the previous engine. The rocket is a three-stage vehicle with two solid motor strap-ons, a liquid propellant core stage and a cryogenic engine.
According to a Times of India report, the CE-20 has faced major delays, and if things had worked out for ISRO, the engine could have been completed as early as 2003.
GSLV-Mark III: ISRO's entry ticket to the big league
Speaking to reporters ahead of the launch, ISRO chairman AS Kiran Kumar explained that GSLV Mark III will enable India to put communications satellites into space from its own soil in future.
It will not only save the ISRO huge amounts of money, but also help it make profits by enabling the space research front to carry out commercial operations.
ISRO, which has earlier created headlines for its work with the smaller PSLV C34 rocket, earned a lot of praise after it carried more than 100 small satellites into space. The small-size launch vehicle carved a niche for itself in the commercial satellite transport market.
However, ahead of the launch of its bigger cousin, the PSLV C34 still does not count as a viable alternative to the already-mature commercial projects such as SpaceX and Blue Origins. The reason being the PSLV's classification as a low-lift launch vehicle that can’t deploy more than 1,400kg of payload to the geostationary transfer orbit.
With the development of the cryogenic engine and the successful launch of the GSLV Mark III, ISRO can finally spar with giants whose launch vehicles such as the Falcon 9 can carry payloads in excess of 5,000kg.