It had created a world record with the launch of 104 satellites at one go on February 15. But Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) doesn't have much time to waste congratulating itself. The year ahead is a busy one, with two very significant launches scheduled in March and April.
Sometime in March, Isro will launch a Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark II, a heavy duty rocket with a capacity to carry a spacecraft as heavy as two tonnes. This will be the GSLC Mk II's ninth test flight and the fifth with an indigenous cryogenic engine. Even more significant, from the strategic and political viewpoint is that this spacecraft's payload will be the South Asian Satellite, a step towards realising the ambitious promise Prime minister Narendra Modi had made to connect nations of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Satellites are configured to a specific area of operation. This one will cover the SAARC countries except Pakistan and will be a communication satellite.
“Countries can find a number of uses of this satellite. For instance, it can be used to make emergency calls between two nations, to transfer movies from one country to another through the Direct To Home system,'' explained S. Somnath, director of Isro's liquid propulsions system centre at Thiruvananthapuram.
The GSLV II will also be the launch vehicle of Chandrayan 2, which is scheduled for the first half of 2018. Thus, every launch of this vehicle needs to be a success. Any slip and lunar ambitions could be delayed.
April will see another heavy duty launch, this time of the big fat GSLV Mark III, a rocket with a payload capacity of four tonnes. Mk III has a completely indigenous cryogenic engine, so a lot is riding on this launch, too.
Isro needs heavier vehicles now that its space ambitions are getting bolstered. Its long term plans include another mission to Mars and one to Venus. Initial work is also being done to prepare Isro for a human space flight sometime in the future. A human flight will certainly need a bigger vehicle than the reliable but slender PSLV, whose capacity does not exceed two tonnes.
Meanwhile, there are another six PSLV flights scheduled for this calendar year, and though none of them will carry as many satellite's as today's launch, they will all be ferrying piggyback spacecrafts. One of these will be Team Indus' rover to the moon, part of an international space competition.
