ISRO’s PSLV is India's most trusted work horse, explains astronomer, astrophysicist

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As impressive as ISRO’s space missions are, none of them would have been possible had it not been for the PSLV, the rocket system that India’s space agency uses. The PSLV is perhaps the most important piece of aeronautic engineering that we have developed over the years.

Dr RC Kapoor, who has been a crucial part of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics and has been involved with astronomy for over 50 years, believes that the PSLV rocket is a trusted workhorse.


“The PSLV PSLV is a trusted workhorse of ISRO…PSLV rocket has been used for most of the launches by ISRO.”

How the PSLV came into being
Dr Kapoor, further explains what makes India’s PSLV special. “Its design goes back to 1968, when Incospar wanted to develop its own satellite launch vehicle. Six designs were prepared and Dr Sarabhai liked the third design, which was called SLV-3.”

The final touches to the design were given by none other than former president of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, much before he assumed office. “Dr Abdul was roped in to develop it further,” he explains. That’s how SLV-3 came to be, and it played a vital role in India’s space Journey. “The SLV-3 was used for the launch of the Rohini satellites, the first Indian satellites that were launched from India. But it had its limitations,” he said. The SLV-3 could carry only a payload with a mass of 40-50kg.

The SLV was then developed more, over multiple iterations. “The SLV-3 was put under further development. First, it became the ASLV or Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle, and then into the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. With each generation, the payload capacity was increased, among other things.

“The PSLV which will be used to launch the upcoming Aditya-L1 solar observatory, can take about 3200 kg in low-earth orbit and about 1400 kg in geostationary orbits,” explained Dr Kapoor, while speaking to ANI.

On the Aditya-L1 mission
Dr Kapoor also explained what the Aditya-L1 mission entails. “Aditya L1 eventually has to find a place at L1 or Lagrange Point 1. This is a point in the Earth-Sun line in space towards the direction of the Sun, about 15 lakh km away from the Sun. At this point, the Earth and Sun’s gravity balance each other,” he explained.

“The Aditya L1 will be in orbit around a specific point, that does not have mass. From here, it will always be facing the Sun. It will make observations, collect data and then pass it on to ground stations of ISRO,”



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