New Delhi: As of the second National Space Day Celebrations, the upcoming launches were in order, the LVM3-M5 mission to deploy the CMS-03 communications satellite for the Indian Navy, the PSLV C62 flight for a strategic payload by New Space India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO and the Gaganyaan G1 mission, an unpressurised flight carrying Vyommitra to round off 2025. This would be followed by the GSLV-F17 flight to launch the NVS-03 navigation satellite, the SSLV L1 flight with an unspecified payload, the LVM3-M6 mission to deploy Bluebird communications satellites for the private American company AST SpaceMobile, the PSLV N1 mission carrying the TDS-01 satellite, the PSL C63 mission with the Oceansat-3A satellite and then the GSLV-F18 mission to deploy GISAT-1A.
The previous and new schedules. (Image Credit: ISRO/News9).
Now this schedule has seen a major reshuffle, as revealed by ISRO Chairman V Narayanan in the post-launch press conference. V Narayanan said, “This financial year, today is 2 November, up to 31 March we are targeting seven launches. The immediate launch is going to be again LVM3 rocket launch which is going to place a commercial communications satellite in orbit. For that we are currently working. Then we have got three PSLV missions, for placing a user-funded ES0-N1 satellite, and an NSIL customer satellite also we are going to place, then a TDS technology development mission is going to be accomplished. In fact, the satellite is being built which we have put lot of new technologies like electric propulsion, quantum technologies, and so many development is taking place, with that development we are building a satellite. A user-funded GISAT-1A satellite is going to be accomplished with GSLV-F17 vehicle.”
Private PSLV launch to take place early next year
ISRO is outsourcing the manufacturing of its workhorse rocket, the PSLV to private industries to meet a spike in demand. As a small rocket capable of deploying satellites in multiple rockets, the demand for PSLV flights is extremely high. V Naraynan said, “We have transferred the five PSLV vehicle for production to the Indian industries. The first rocket is almost ready, and we call it PSLV-N1 rocket. That is going to be done by us before this financial year, somewhere in January-February timeframe, dates are not yet decided.” The GSLV and LVM3 flights will take place from the second launch pad (SLP) at Sriharikota, while the PSLV and SSLV flights will take place from the First Launch Pad (FLP).