In order to be successful, the Next-Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV rocket) for India needs to be affordable, support effective manufacturing processes, reusable, and be able to be produced more quickly, according to the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Speaking to an audience of other scientists and engineers from many fields was Dr. S. Somanath, the director general of ISRO and secretary of India’s department of space.
Somanath remarked on ISRO’s next launch vehicle while asserting that India’s current fleet of PSLV and GSLV rockets (with the exception of GSLV MKIII) utilise 1980s technology and are eventually intended to be decommissioned. In Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, the ISRO Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) was hosting the ‘INAE Engineers Conclave-2022,’ where he was presenting.
Vision for India's Next-gen #rocket NGLV:
3-stages powered by Methane-Lox/Kerosene-Lox, re-usable, low-cost, easy &quick manufacture, 10-tons to GTOIt's meant to do cargo missions, deep space, human spaceflight etc.
Launch cost: 1900-3000USD to LEO #isro @isro #space #tech pic.twitter.com/Ga2O5K01f3— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) October 17, 2022
According to depictions of the NGLV’s potential technological specs, it could launch payloads weighing up to 10 tonnes into geostationary transfer orbit—a payload that is 2.5 times more than that of India’s current biggest launcher, the GSLV MKIII. The possibility of this being a three-stage launch vehicle propelled by green fuel mixtures like methane and liquid oxygen or kerosene and liquid oxygen was also made known.
Regarding the proposed usage of the vehicle, it was said that NGLV might be utilised for deep space missions, the launch of numerous communication satellites, freight transportation, and upcoming human spaceflight missions. This rocket is likewise designed to provide low cost per kilogramme orbital transportation.
This is the cost of launching one kilogramme of cargo into low-earth orbit (LEO). The NGLV is expected to have launch costs between $1900/kg (in reusable mode) and $3000/kg (in expendable configuration). Reusable systems ensure that some or all of the rocket’s components are retrieved and may be utilised in subsequent launches, whereas disposable configurations result in expensive rocket pieces that fall back into the sea after their burn time.
In order to successfully develop such a rocket, Somanath emphasised the importance of Indian industry’s involvement from the very first stages of the rocket’s development. The Indian industry will be able to manufacture, run, and launch the rocket with ISRO’s technological expertise and backing, he continued, making it more manufacturing- and operationally-friendly. He envisioned this rocket as a “national asset” that could be upgraded as technology advanced and operate for a very long time.
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