New Delhi: ISRO has lined up seven launch missions by March next year, including one to demonstrate home-built electric propulsion systems for satellite and quantum key distribution technologies, and the first uncrewed mission of the Gaganyaan project.
The first of the seven launches is expected to take place next week.
India’s heaviest rocket LVM3 will place in orbit the Bluebird-6 communication satellite for US-based AST Spacemobile through a commercial agreement with ISRO’s New Space India Limited (NSIL), Union minister Jitendra Singh recently told Parliament.
The human-rated LVM3 will soar into the sky early next year carrying the first uncrewed mission of India’s human spaceflight Gaganyaan with a robot ‘Vyommitra’ onboard the crew module.
One more uncrewed mission is planned later next year before ISRO sends Indian astronauts into low earth orbit in 2027.
“First uncrewed mission of Gaganyaan to demonstrate end-to-end mission, including aerodynamics characterisation of human rated launch vehicle, mission operations of Orbital Module, re-entry and recovery of Crew Module,” Singh said.
Next year will also see the launch of India’s first industry-built Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) that will put in orbit Oceansat satellite. The PSLV will have two more passengers -- Indo-Mauritius Joint Satellite and LEAP-2 satellite of Dhruva Space.
To increase commercial launches of satellites, NSIL had given a contract to a HAL-L&T consortium to manufacture five PSLV rockets, under a technology transfer agreement signed in September this year.
An ISRO-built PSLV will put in orbit an earth observation satellite (EOS-N1) for a strategic user and 18 smaller satellites of Indian and international customers.