NSIL seeks private partners to build its heavy lift rocket LVM3
This is the launch vehicle that propelled Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3 to the Moon. A human-rated version of the same vehicle will be used for the Gaganyaan mission as well.
ISRO's Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3) M4 rocket carrying 'Chandrayaan-3' lifts off from the launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, in Sriharikota, Friday, July 14, 2023. (PTI Photo) New Space India Limited (NSIL) — the commercial arm of the department of space — has called on private players to manufacture its largest launch vehicle LVM3. This is the launch vehicle that propelled Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3 to the Moon. A human-rated version of the same vehicle will be used for the Gaganyaan mission as well.
While the vehicle was initially used for missions that required the spacecraft to escape Earth’s orbit or be placed in the large geosynchronous orbits — orbits at over 35,000 km where the satellites can move in synchronisation with the Earth’s rotation — the commercial capability of the vehicle was first demonstrated when it was used to deploy multiple satellites in the low earth orbit.
Two batches of 36 satellites each were launched using the vehicle in 2022 and 2023 commercially for internet provider OneWeb. The launch mission came to India after disagreements between Russia and the UK-backed company after the war broke out. Not only did the vehicle deploy multiple satellites for the first time, it did so in different orbits during the missions.
“The planned technological advancements are expected to significantly improve the LVM3 payload capacity in the coming years… NSIL recognises that there is a growing demand for launching heavier communications satellites as well as satellites for global mega LEO (low earth orbit) constellations,” said the request for qualification by the agency. Several companies such as Starlink and OneWeb have been working to create constellations of hundreds of satellites for uses such as providing Internet connectivity.
This is in line with the government’s vision to increase participation of private players, making them capable of manufacturing complete launch vehicles instead of remaining mere producers of parts.
The document states that NSIL will conduct a two-stage bidding process — shortlist multiple technically qualified manufacturers and then select one company based on their financial competitiveness.
The agency called for completely manufacturing a launch vehicle by private players in 2022 with its workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). A consortium of HAL and L&T has been selected to manufacture five PSLV, with the first flight of the privately manufactured vehicle likely this year.
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