PSLV-C8 (CA Variant) carrying the AGILE x-ray and γ-ray astronomical satellite of the ASI lifting off from Sriharikota |
|
| Function | Medium Lift Launch System |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | ISRO |
| Country of origin | India |
| Size | |
| Height | 44 metres (144 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.8 metres (9 ft 2 in) |
| Mass | 294,000 kilograms (650,000 lb) |
| Stages | 4 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO |
3,250 kilograms (7,200 lb) |
| Payload to HCO |
1,600 kilograms (3,500 lb)[1] |
| Payload to GTO |
1,410 kilograms (3,100 lb)[1] |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Active |
| Launch sites | Sriharikota |
| Total launches | 20 PSLV: 11 PSLV-CA: 7 PSLV-XL: 2 |
| Successes | 18 PSLV: 9 PSLV-CA: 7 PSLV-XL: 2 |
| Failures | 1 (PSLV) |
| Partial failures | 1 (PSLV) |
| Maiden flight | PSLV: 20 September 1993 PSLV-CA: 23 April 2007 PSLV-XL: 22 October 2008 |
| Notable payloads | Chandrayaan-1 |
| Boosters (Stage 0) | |
| No. boosters | 6 |
| Engines | 1 solid |
| Thrust | 502.600 kN |
| Specific impulse | 262 sec |
| Burn time | 44 seconds |
| Fuel | HTPB (solid) |
| First stage | |
| Engines | 1 solid |
| Thrust | 4,860 kN |
| Specific impulse | 269 sec |
| Burn time | 105 seconds |
| Fuel | HTPB (solid) |
| Second stage | |
| Engines | 1 Vikas (liquid) |
| Thrust | 725 kN |
| Specific impulse | 293 sec |
| Burn time | 158 seconds |
| Fuel | N2O4/UDMH |
| Third stage | |
| Engines | 1 solid |
| Thrust | 328 kN |
| Specific impulse | 294 sec |
| Burn time | 83 seconds |
| Fuel | Solid |
| Fourth stage | |
| Engines | 2 liquid |
| Thrust | 14 kN |
| Specific impulse | 308 sec |
| Burn time | 425 seconds |
| Fuel | MMH/MON |
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (Hindi: ध्रुवीय उपग्रह प्रक्षेपण यान), 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.
Contents |
PSLV has been designed and developed at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (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.
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 polybutadiene (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.
| 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 |
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.[2] These configurations provide wide variations in payload capabilities ranging from 600 kg in LEO to 1900 kg in sun synchronous orbit.
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.
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.[3] The fourth stage of the CA variant has 400 kg less propellant when compared to its standard version.[3] It currently has capability to launch 1,100 kg to 622 km sun synchronous orbit.[4]
PSLV-XL is the uprated version of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle in its standard configuration boosted by more powerful, stretched strap-on boosters.[3] 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.[5] 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.[4] Future launches include the RISAT Radar Imaging Satellite.[6]
| 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. |
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,[4] and the payload capability will be raised to 2000 kg.[4] 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.
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.[4][7]
| Flight | Variant | Launch date/time (UTC) | Launch Pad | Payload | Payload Mass | Result | Note(s) |
| D1 | PSLV | 20 September 1993[8] | Sriharikota FLP* | IRS 1E | 846 kg | Failure | 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[9] | Sriharikota FLP* | IRS P2 | 804 kg | Success | First successful development flight. |
| D3 | PSLV | 21 March 1996[10] | Sriharikota FLP* | IRS P3 | 920 kg | Success | |
| C1 | PSLV | 29 September 1997[11] | Sriharikota FLP* | IRS 1D | 1,250 kg | Partial failure | Helium leak resulted in lower than planned orbit, spacecraft still usable[12] |
| C2 | PSLV | 26 May 1999[13] | Sriharikota FLP* | OceanSat 1 DLR-Tubsat KitSat 3 |
1,050 kg 107 kg 45 kg |
Success | First successful commercial flight. |
| C3 | PSLV | 22 October 2001[14] | Sriharikota FLP* | TES Proba BIRD |
1,108 kg 94 kg 92 kg |
Success | Speculated as a Spy Satellite.[15] |
| C4 | PSLV | 12 September 2002[16] | Sriharikota FLP* | METSAT 1 (Kalpana 1) | 1,060 kg | Success | First launch to Geostationary transfer orbit.[16] |
| C5 | PSLV | 17 October 2003[17] | Sriharikota FLP* | ResourceSat 1 | 1,360 kg | Success | |
| C6 | PSLV | 5 May 2005[18] | Sriharikota SLP** | CartoSat 1 HAMSAT |
1560 kg 42.5 kg |
Success | First launch from Second launch pad |
| C7 | PSLV | 10 January 2007[19] | Sriharikota FLP* | CartoSat 2 SRE LAPAN-TUBsat PEHUENSAT-1 |
680 kg 500 kg 56 kg 6 kg> |
Success | Used a device called 'Dual Launch Adapter' for the first time to launch four satellites.[20] LAPAN-TUBsat is Indonesia’s first remote sensing satellite. |
| C8 | PSLV-CA | 23 April 2007[21] | Sriharikota SLP** | AGILE AAM |
352 kg 185 kg |
Success | First flight of the 'Core-Alone' version. ISRO's first exclusively commercial launch.[22] |
| C10 | PSLV-CA | 21 January 2008[23] | Sriharikota FLP* | TECSAR | 295 kg | Success | An Israeli reconnaissance satellite.[24] |
| C9 | PSLV-CA | 28 April 2008[25][26] | Sriharikota SLP** | Cartosat-2A IMS-1/TWSAT RUBIN-8 CanX-6/NTS CanX-2 Cute-1.7+APD II Delfi-C3 SEEDS-2 COMPASS-1 AAUSAT-II |
690 kg 83 kg 8 kg 6.5 kg 3.5 kg 3 kg 2.2 kg 1 kg 1 kg 0.75 kg |
Success | World Record for most satellites (10) launched in a single attempt. |
| C11 | PSLV-XL | 22 October 2008[27] | Sriharikota SLP** | Chandrayaan I | 1,380 kg | Success | First flight of the PSLV-XL version. India's first mission to the Moon.[28] |
| C12 | PSLV-CA | 20 April 2009[29] | Sriharikota SLP** | RISAT-2 ANUSAT |
300 kg 40 kg |
Success | India's first all weather observation spy satellite.[30] ANUSAT is the first satellite built by an Indian University. |
| C14 | PSLV-CA | 23 September 2009[31] | Sriharikota FLP* | Oceansat-2 Rubin 9.1 |
960 kg 8 kg 8 kg 1 kg> 1 kg 1 kg 1 kg |
Success | Rubin 9.1 and 9.2 were non-separable payloads,[32] orbited attached to the vehicle's fourth stage.[33][34] SwissCube-1[35] and ITUpSAT1[36] are Switzerland's and Turkey's first home-grown satellites launched into space. |
| C15 | PSLV-CA | July 12, 2010 [37] | Sriharikota FLP* | Cartosat-2B |
690 kg [41] 117 kg[41] 6.5 kg[41] 1 kg |
Success |
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.[42][43] |
| C16 | PSLV | 20 April 2011[44] | Sriharikota | ResourceSat-2 X-Sat YouthSat |
1206 kg 106 kg 92 kg |
Success | In the current flight, the standard version, with six solid strap-on booster motors strung around the first stage, was used.[44] |
| C17 | PSLV-XL | 15 July 2011[45] | Sriharikota SLP** | GSAT-12 | 1410 kg | Success | Indigenously developed flight computer 'Vikram' used for the first time.[46] |
| C18 | PSLV-CA | 12 October 2011 11:00:00 IST[47] | Sriharikota | Megha-Tropiques |
1000 kg 10.9 kg 3 kg 28.7 kg[48] |
Success | The Megha-Tropiques satellite for climate research launched along with three micro-satellites: the SRMSAT built by the SRM University, Chennai, the remote sensing satellite Jugnu from the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur and the VesselSat-1 of Luxembourg to locate ships on high seas. [49] [50] |
| Planned launches | |||||||
| C19 | PSLV | Jan 2012[51] | Sriharikota | RISAT-1 | Planned | ||
| C20 | PSLV | April 2012[52] | Sriharikota | Astrosat | Planned | ||
'*'FLP - First Launch Pad, Satish Dhawan Space Centre; **SLP - Second Launch Pad, Satish Dhawan Space Centre
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