The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is a third-

generation rocket launcher designed, manufactured

and operated by the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO).
It is an expendable launch vehicle which can place
1,600kg remote sensing satellites into sun synchronous
orbit (SSO) and 1,050kg small sized spacecraft into
geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).

PSLV launch history

PSLV has launched a total of 62 (27 Indian and 35
foreign) satellites including Resourcesat-2, Youthsat,
X-sat, Cartosat-2B, Alsat-2A, Studsat, Oceansat-2, six
nanosatellites, Risat-2, Anusat, Cartosat-2A, IMS-1,
DLR-Tubsat, Space capsule Recovery Experiment
(SRE-1), KALPANA-1 and several others satellites. It
was also used as a launch vehicle for the Chandrayaan-1
lunar probe mission by India.
Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicle variations
ISRO has built five variants of the PSLV based on the
payload capacities varying from 600kg in low earth
orbit (LEO) to 1,900kg in sun synchronous orbit (SSO).
PSLV completed 23 launches as of February 2013, with
more launches planned in October 2013.The PSLV is a
standard model, which can launch 1,678kg of payload
to 622km into SSO. It includes three sub variants PSLV
(1), PSLV (2) and PSLV (3).

"ISRO has built five variants of

the PSLV based on the payload
capacities varying from 600kg
in low earth orbit to 1,900kg in
sun synchronous orbit."
PSLV-CA (PSLV-core alone) is an advanced version of
the PSLV. It carries 400kg less propellant than the
standard model and can launch 1,100kg of payload to
SSO. The maiden flight of the PSLV-CA took place on
23 April 2007.
A meliorated model of the PSLV, the PSLV-XL weighs
320,000kg at takeoff. It is incorporated with six strap-
on motors to carry 4,000kg more propellant compared
with the standard PSLV. The maiden launch of PSLV-
XL with Chandrayaan-1 aboard took place on 22
October 2008.
PSLV-HP is a high performance version currently
under development. It will feature ugraded strap-on
boosters and payload capacity up to 2,000kg. It is
scheduled to launch seven navigation satellites between
2013 and 2015. The PSLV-3S is an advanced rocket
currently under development. This variant will be able
to launch small satellites into LEO in three stages.

Design of PSLV launch

vehicle
The PSLV was designed to be 450m high and of 2.8m
diameter. It is fitted with an inertial guidance system to
accomplish navigation, guidance and attitude control
missions.
Pitch and yaw control of the vehicle during thrust phase
of the solid booster is achieved by interposing aqueous
solution of strontium perchlorate in the nozzle to
establish secondary injection thrust vector control
system (SITVC) which controls the roll augmentation.
The vehicle is also incorporated with two cylindrical
aluminium tanks attached to the solid rocket boosters
for storing the injected fuel.
Roll control thrusters (RCT) were also installed for roll
control during the first stage.

PSLV development
The development of PSLV began in early the 1990s at
the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in the state
of Kerala. The maiden flight of the PSLV took place on
20 September 1993, but an altitude control error in the
second and third stages resulted in the failure of the
launch mission.

Related project

GSAT-10 Communication Satellite, India

GSAT-10 is the heaviest communication

satellite designed and developed by Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The first successful launch of the PSLV into SSO with

IRS-P2 satellite aboard was completed in October 1994.
The launch was carried out from the SHAR launch
centre in Sriharikota.
Further successful launches followed in 1996, 1997,
1999 and 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009,
2010 and 2011.
The PSLV became the prominent rocket launcher for
Indian satellite launches especially LEO and
Chandrayaan projects.
ISRO launched the GSAT-12 atop a PSLV-C17 rocket
from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on 15 July 2011.
The Megha-Tropiques, a mission to study the tropical
atmosphere, was launched on the back of PSLV-C18 in
October 2011. The PSLV-C19 launched RISAT-1
spacecraft in April 2012.
PSLV-C21 launched SPOT 6 satellite and a Japanese
micro-satellite PROITERES in September 2012.
PSLV-C20, another variant of the PSLV-CA version,
launched the Indo-French satellite SARAL and six
commercial payload satellites on February 2013. The
launch of SARAL represented the 23rd PSLV mission of
ISRO.

PSLV Contractors
The ISRO inertial systems unit (IISU) based at
Thiruvananthapuram supplied the inertial systems for
the PSLV.The liquid propulsion systems (LPS) and
reaction control systems (RCS) were built by the liquid
propulsion systems centre (LPSC).
The Satish Dhawan Space Centre rendered solid
propellant motors for the launch vehicle.Rocket
Propellant Plant (RPP) is supplying the propellants for
the launch vehicle.

Launch stages
PSLV can launch a satellite into orbit in four stages.
The first and third stages are incorporated with two
solid propulsion systems, with the second and fourth
stages powered by liquid engines.
The first stage features six strap-on boosters which can
burn 139t of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene
(HTPB) attached propellant to generate a maximum
thrust of 677kN each.

"Four ground lit boosters are

ignited during lift-off and the
remaining two airlit boosters
burnt upon reaching an
altitude of 2.4km."
Four ground lit boosters are ignited during lift-off and
the remaining two airlit boosters burnt upon reaching
an altitude of 2.4km.
The ground lit and air lit boosters are jettisoned at
23.7km and 42.6km respectively. The second stage
ignites after reaching 68.5km and is propelled by a
single Vikas liquid engine, delivering 800kN of thrust.
Fitted to a turbo pump, the liquid propulsion burns
41.5t of di-methyl hydrazine fuel and nitrogen tetroxide
oxidiser for 162 seconds. Payload fairings were
separated at an altitude of 117km.
The third stage is ignited at 248km. It is powered by a
solid rocket motor which consumes 7.6t of HTPB
propellant to produce maximum thrust of 324kN. The
third stage is jettisoned at an altitude of 425km.
The fourth stage comprises a dual engine configuration
and utilises liquid propellant.
It is the final stage which burns 2.5t of monomethyl
hydrazine fuel and nitrogen tetroxide oxidiser for 420
seconds to produce 14kN of thrust. This stage launches
the satellite into either LEO or GTO based on its
mission.