GSLV MK-III

July 16, 2019

The launch of Chandrayaan-2 was aborted less than an hour from liftoff after scientists detected a technical glitch in the launch vehicle system. The mission vehicle was a GSLV Mk-III rocket.

About:

  • GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) rockets use a different fuel, and have a thrust that is far greater than PSLV’s. They can, therefore, carry heavier payloads and travel deeper into space.

  • Among ISRO’s GSLV rockets, GSLV Mk-III is the latest and most powerful. It has had two successful flights so far — it carried and deployed the GSAT-19 communication satellite in 2017 and then, the GSAT-29 communication satellite in 2018.

  • GSLV Mk-III is powered by a core liquid engine, has two solid boosters that are used to provide the massive thrust required during liftoff, and a cryogenic engine in the upper stage.

  • Cryogenics is the science relating to behaviour of materials at very low temperatures. Cryogenic technology is challenging to master, but essential for a rocket like GSLV Mk-III.