Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) is a launch vehicle operated by Indian space research organization . It was designed to launch 2 Ton class of insat class of communication satellites to geosynchronous transfer orbit for which India was dependent on US and Europe .
GSLV uses major components that are already used in the PSLV in form of S139 solid core stage and liquid fueled second stage .The third stage is a cryogenic stage powered by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen . The first development flight of GSLV (GSLV-D1) was launched on 18 April 2001 .
GSLV is 49 meters tall and weighs 416 Tonnes . It is a three stage launch vehicle S139 solid core and four liquid fueled strapons . The second stage is a liquid stage powered by vikas engine while third stage is a cryogenic stage . The payload fairing is 7.8 meters high and and 3.4 meters in diameter . It is separated when the vehicle reaches an altitude of about 115 km. GSLV can launch 5 Ton class of satellite into 600 km low earth orbit and 2 Ton class of satellite into geostationary transfer orbit with a inclation of 18 degree.
Earlier flights of gslv uses Russian built cryogenic stage. This configuration is called gslv Mk.1.
India started developing its own cryogenic upper stage in 1994 . The engine was flight tested in
2010 on-board GSLV D3 but the flight ended in a failure as engine failed to ignite due to a faulty
turbo-pump . On 5 January 2014 the CE - 7.5 cryogenic engine was successfully flight tested
on-board GSLV D5 . Another flight on-board GSLV-D6 was also successful. GSLV had done 9
flights with 6 success and 3 failures , Its most recent flight was GSLV - D6 on 27 August 2015
when it launched GSAT - 6 Communication satellite . Its next flight is scheduled in july 2016 when
it will launch 2.2 Ton INSAT-3DR satellite .
No comments:
Post a Comment