Year’s first launch sets tone for a busy 2023 for ISRO, says space agency chief

Last October, in what was ISRO’s first commercial mission using a launch vehicle other than PSLV, LVM3 had placed another set of 36 OneWeb satellites in orbit. OneWeb plans to create 588 satellite strong constellations to provide high speed, low latency global connectivity.

Another PSLV launch is scheduled for March-end, Somanath said, adding that the rocket was in the process of being placed on the launch pedestal “in a new facility that is going to be used this time”. He did not elaborate on what the new facility is. Although a new spaceport is under development at Tamil Nadu, it is meant only for small launch vehicles.

Somanath said that the landing demonstration of its under-development reusable launch vehicle will also take place soon. The reusable launch vehicle will be a rocket with wings that can return and land back.

“Currently, the teams are at the landing site in Chitradurga (Karnataka),” he said. “We are hoping that in a few days everything will be alright. The initial preparation will be alright and we will be able to do the landing demonstration.”

In his address after the launch, Somanath said at least one GSLV mission, hopefully another, carrying new-generation satellites for India’s satellite-based navigation system NaVIC will also take place this year. This is scheduled before the launch of ISRO NASA satellite called NISAR, which is a novel synthetic aperture radar for earth observation. The most-awaited mission would be the Test Vehicle Project that will use a single-stage launcher to demonstrate crew abort and recovery capability for the Gaganyaan mission.

“I also wanted to tell you that there are many more launches of the PSLV scheduled…” he said. Somanath had previously said the space agency will attempt its maiden solar mission — Aditya L1 — aboard PSLV in June or July.