New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has embarked on a new mission after successfully launching its heaviest rocket LVM-3-M2/OneWeb India-1. Keeping in mind the growing demand for reliable launchers in the global markets, ISRO has started working on a futuristic rocket that will be “cost-effective and industry-friendly”. Speaking at the India Space Congress, ISRO Chairman S Somnath on Wednesday revealed that an ISRO team has started working on defining the design of such a rocket. He said that we want to build a cost-effective and reliable rocket in partnership with an industry that specializes in this area.
According to a TOI report, Somnath further said ‘Once the design is ready, we will seek inputs from the industry. ISRO will continue to be the designer and custodian of the new rocket to ensure its reliability. Also, there will be a producer as well as an operator. We hope that in a year or two, the design of such a rocket will be ready.
The ISRO chief also said that “the space agency wants to test-launch the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV or Mini-PSLV) soon.” He said that after two successful test launches, we will hand over the SSLV rocket technology to the industry. We have also recently handed over the production of PSLV to the industry and soon the industry will launch five PSLV rockets with the support of ISRO. Later they will handle the production on their own.
The ISRO chairman said that when it comes to the number of launches of GSLVs in a year, the production capabilities of ISRO are limited. He further said that we want to increase the number of launches in collaboration with the industry. Just two launches are not enough, we want six launches in a year and eventually, take it to 12 launches. He said that ISRO also wants to make a large number of small satellites to meet the needs of the market.
Referring to the opening up of the space sector, the ISRO chief said that there is a lot of potential in the space sector. We want youth to come up with new ideas and start start-ups. Along with this, we would also like to request the big players in this industry to support the start-ups of these youths.
