GSLV Credit - ISRC

Orbital launch vehicle. Country: India. Status: Active. Other Designations: Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle.

Indian launcher for geosynchronous satellites using a Lox/LH2 upper stage developed from Russian technology.

The 49 metre tall GSLV was a three stage vehicle. The first stage, GS1, comprised a core motor with 138 tonnes of solid propellant and four strap-on motors each with 40 tonnes of hypergolic liquid propellants (UH25 and N204). The second stage had 39 tonnes of the same hypergolic liquid propellants. The third stage (GS3) was a cryogenic stage with 12.5 tonnes of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.

The aluminium alloy GSLV payload fairing was 3.4 m in diameter and 7.8 m long. GSLV employed a flexible linear shaped charge separation system for the first stage, a pyrotechnically-actuated collet release mechanism for the second stage, and a Merman band bolt cutter separation mechanism for the third stage. Spacecraft separation was by spring thrusters mounted at the separation interface. The three-axis attitude stabilisation of GSLV was achieved by autonomous control systems provided in each stage. Single plane engine gimbal controls on the four strap-ons of the first stage were used for pitch, yaw and roll control. The second used engine gimbal control for pitch and yaw and a hot gas reaction control system for roll control. Two swivelling vernier engines using LH2 and LOX provided pitch, yaw and roll control for the third stage during thrust phases. A cold gas orientation system was used during third stage coast phases. The booster's inertial guidance system was located in the equipment bay above the third stage. The closed loop guidance scheme used by the on-board computer ensured the required accuracy in orbital injection conditions.

Manufacturer: ISRO. Launches: 5. Failures: 1. Success Rate: 80.00%. First Launch Date: 2001-04-18. Last Launch Date: 2007-09-02. Launch data is: continuing. LEO Payload: 5,000 kg (11,000 lb). to: 200 km Orbit. at: 45.00 degrees. Payload: 2,500 kg (5,500 lb). to a: Geosynchronous transfer trajectory. Apogee: 40,000 km (24,000 mi). Associated Spacecraft: Insat 3. Liftoff Thrust: 6,810.000 kN (1,530,940 lbf). Total Mass: 402,000 kg (886,000 lb). Core Diameter: 2.80 m (9.10 ft). Total Length: 49.00 m (160.00 ft). Development Cost $: 500.000 million. in: 1985 average dollars. Launch Price $: 45.000 million. in: 1999 price dollars. Flyaway Unit Cost $: 4.000 million. in: 1985 unit dollars.

• Stage0: 4 x GSLV-0. Gross Mass: 45,600 kg (100,500 lb). Empty Mass: 5,600 kg (12,300 lb). Motor: 1 x Viking 2. Thrust (vac): 735.000 kN (165,234 lbf). Isp: 281 sec. Burn time: 159 sec. Length: 19.70 m (64.60 ft). Diameter: 2.10 m (6.80 ft). Propellants: N2O4/UDMH.

• Stage1: 1 x GSLV-1. Gross Mass: 157,300 kg (346,700 lb). Empty Mass: 28,300 kg (62,300 lb). Motor: 1 x PSLV-1. Thrust (vac): 4,860.070 kN (1,092,587 lbf). Isp: 266 sec. Burn time: 93 sec. Length: 20.34 m (66.73 ft). Diameter: 2.80 m (9.10 ft). Propellants: Solid.

• Stage2: 1 x GSLV-2. Gross Mass: 42,900 kg (94,500 lb). Empty Mass: 5,400 kg (11,900 lb). Motor: 1 x Viking 4. Thrust (vac): 725.015 kN (162,990 lbf). Isp: 295 sec. Burn time: 149 sec. Length: 11.60 m (38.00 ft). Diameter: 2.80 m (9.10 ft). Propellants: N2O4/UDMH.

• Stage3: 1 x GSLV-3. Gross Mass: 14,600 kg (32,100 lb). Empty Mass: 2,200 kg (4,800 lb). Motor: 1 x RD-56M. Thrust (vac): 75.050 kN (16,872 lbf). Isp: 460 sec. Burn time: 675 sec. Length: 8.72 m (28.60 ft). Diameter: 2.80 m (9.10 ft). Propellants: Lox/LH2.

2001 April 18 - 10:13 GMT - Sriharikota PSLV. GSLV-D1 GSAT-1 Mass: 1,530 kg (3,370 lb). Spacecraft: Gsat. Agency: ISRO. Perigee: 33,825 km (21,017 mi). Apogee: 35,814 km (22,253 mi). Inclination: 0.00 deg. Period: 1,387.00 min. Experimental Rural Communications satellite. Launch delayed following pad abort on March 28. First launch of the Indian GSLV launch vehicle. GSat 1 was an Indian, 1500 kg scaled-dow) test model of a future geosynchronous communications spacecraft with a 440 N ISRO liquid apogee motor, and S-band and C-band ommunications transponders, similar to the Insat-2 satellites. The motor for the cryogenic, hydrogen-oxygen upper stage had been purchased from Russia but the design had never flown in space before. The stage cut off without providing the required delta-V - preliminary analysis revealed a shortfall of 0.5% in the thrust. An attempt was made to reach a usable orbit using the station-keeping motor of the GSAT satellite itself. After a series of burns, GSat 1 ran out of propellant - 10 kg more fuel would have been required to reach a stationary orbit. In the end, the parameters of the drifting (about 13 deg/day) orbit were period 23 hours, apogee 35,665 km, perigee 33,806 km, and inclination 0.99 deg. The fully functional transponders and transmitters on board were deactivated on instructions of the International Telecommunications Union. As of 4 September 2001 located at 54.88 deg E drifting at 13.212 deg E per day. As of 2007 Mar 10 located at 50.16W drifting at 12.778E degrees per day.

2003 May 8 - Sriharikota PSLV. GSLV-D2 GSAT-2 Mass: 1,825 kg (4,023 lb). Spacecraft: Gsat. Agency: ISRO. Perigee: 35,782 km (22,233 mi). Apogee: 35,790 km (22,230 mi). Inclination: 0.00 deg. Period: 1,436.10 min. Experimental Rural Communications. Launch delayed from original target of late 2001, then October 2002, then February 2003. The satellite carried four C-band transponders, two Ku-band transponders and a Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) payload operating in S-band and C-band for forward link and return link respectively. GSAT-2 also carried four piggyback experimental payloads: Total Radiation Dose Monitor (TRDM), Surface Charge Monitor (SCM), Solar X-ray Spectrometer (SOXS) and Coherent Radio Beacon Experiment (CRABEX). As of 2007 Mar 10 located at 47.97E drifting at 0.005E degrees per day.

2004 September 20 - 10:31 GMT - Sriharikota PSLV. GSLV-F01 GSAT-3 / Edusat Mass: 1,950 kg (4,290 lb). Spacecraft: Gsat. Agency: ISRO. Perigee: 35,772 km (22,227 mi). Apogee: 35,801 km (22,245 mi). Inclination: 0.10 deg. Period: 1,436.10 min. Gsat-3 / Edusat was the first Indian satellite built exclusively for the educational sector. It was mainly intended to meet the demand for an interactive satellite based distance education system for India. Edusat was launched into a geosynchronous transfer orbit by its launch vehicle. Edusat was to reach geostationary orbit by firing, in stages, its on board Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM). In geostationary orbit the satellite was to be co-located with Kalpana-1 and Insat-3C satellites at 74 deg East longitude.

Compared to earlier satellites in the Insat series, Edusat used several new technologies. The spacecraft was built around the I-2K standardised spacecraft bus. It had a multiple spot beam antenna with a 1.2 m reflector to direct Ku band spot beams, a dual core bent heat pipe for thermal control, high efficiency multi-junction solar cells and an improved thruster configuration for optimised propellant use for orbit and orientation maintenance. The satellite used radiatively cooled Ku-band Travelling Wave Tube Amplifiers and a dielectrically loaded C-band demultiplexer for its communication payloads. Edusat carried five Ku-band transponders providing spot beams, one Ku-band transponder providing a national beam and six Extended C-band transponders with a national coverage beam. It was to join the Insat system that already provided more than 130 transponders in C-band, Extended C-band and Ku-band for a variety of telecommunication and television services.

First operational flight of launch vehicle. Launch delayed from July, August and September 10. Dry mass 820 kg. As of 2007 Mar 9 located at 73.92E drifting at 0.006W degrees per day.

2006 July 10 - 12:08 GMT - Sriharikota SLP. GSLV-F02 FAILURE: One of the liquid-fueled strap-on motors failed to develop thrust. By 40 seconds after launch the GSLV had veered outside of the launch corridor and the destruct signal was sent. Insat 4C Mass: 2,168 kg (4,779 lb). Spacecraft: Insat 3. Agency: ISRO.

2007 September 2 - 12:50 GMT - Sriharikota SLP. GSLV-F04 Insat 4CR Spacecraft: Insat 3. Perigee: 35,221 km (21,885 mi). Apogee: 35,790 km (22,230 mi). Inclination: 0.10 deg. Period: 421.80 min. Ku-band television satellite.