GSLV Mk-III integrated with CARE at Second Launch Pad
India's space agency is all set for one of its most ambitious tests. The countdown has begun for the unique maiden flight of Indian Space Research Organisation or ISRO's heaviest rocket till date - the 630-tonne three-stage rocket Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III. (
Watch: India's Monster Rocket Ready for Test Flight)
This experimental flight marks a quantum shift in the rocket technology that India has mastered. This new rocket is capable of doubling the capacity of payloads India can carry into space. The rocket can deposit up to four tonne class of communication satellites into space. ISRO hopes this will become the main stay rocket in the future, which later will be suitably equipped for ferrying Indian astronauts into space.
On this flight, the rocket will be tested on how it performs during its travel in the atmosphere. The rocket will have the first two stages as active rocket engines, while the third stage that consists of the cryogenic engine is a passive stage. The heavy-duty cryogenic engine necessary for this rocket is still under development by ISRO. A full-fledged launch of the rocket can be expected in a few years.
The GSLV Mk III is an altogether new design of a rocket by Indian engineers. Incidentally its first stage consists of twin solid-state rocket engines that carry as much as 200 tonnes of propellant each. ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan says "These are the world's third largest rocket boosters."
Once ISRO masters this rocket, there may not be any need for India to send its heavy-duty communications satellites to space using expensive foreign launchers. It can also hope to make a dent in the multimillion-dollar commercial launch market of the world.
Astronaut Programme This flight is really a two-in-one mission being undertaking by ISRO. The main passenger in the rocket is an Indian-made crew module. This marks the beginning of what could be India's initiation into the ambitious human space flight programme. While this crew module will be unmanned but this small room-sized cupcake shaped satellite is indeed capable of carrying two or three Indian astronauts into space. (
Watch: India Gets Set for Flying Astronauts)
In this flight the crew module will be hoisted up to an altitude of about 127 kilometres above earth. The crew module is also powered by its own engine and will be navigated and made to re-enter the atmosphere at a massive velocity. It will then be slowed down using massive parachutes. Incidentally the parachutes being used are the largest ever to be deployed by India.
The crew module will then make a splash down near the Andaman Islands in the waters of the Bay of Bengal. In its flight several parameters will be tested on the crew module, crucially ISRO is very keen to understand how the crew module and it's outer lining made of special heat resistant tiles withstands the over four thousand degree centigrade temperature it experiences as it comes hurtling back to Earth.
ISRO has proposed that it can fly Indian Astronauts into space using Indian rocket from Indian soil within seven to eight years of getting a government nod for its astronaut programme. ISRO has sought funding of about Rs 12,500 crores for its humans space flight endeavour. When this happens, India will become the fourth country in the world to have indigenous capability of sending humans into space; the only other countries that have the necessary technology for this complex mission include Russia, USA and China.
Earlier this year, NASA tested its most modern crew module called Orion. Now, within a few weeks ISRO is following up with its own version of a made-in-India crew module. The guiding principle it seems is, if NASA can, so can ISRO.
This big launch is a watershed moment for ISRO and a real trial by fire as it charts new frontiers in space exploration.