LVM3
The Launch Vehicle Mark-3 or LVM3 (previously referred as the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III or GSLV Mk III) is a three-stage medium-lift launch vehicle developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Primarily designed to launch communication satellites into geostationary orbit, it is also due to launch crewed missions under the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. LVM3 has a higher payload capacity than its predecessor, GSLV.
| Function | Medium-lift launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | ISRO |
| Country of origin | India |
| Cost per launch | ₹500 crore (US$63 million) |
| Size | |
| Height | 43.43 m (142.5 ft) |
| Diameter | 4 m (13 ft) |
| Mass | 640,000 kg (1,410,000 lb) |
| Stages | 3 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | |
| Mass | 10,000 kg (22,000 lb) |
| Payload to GTO | |
| Mass | 4,000 kg (8,800 lb) |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle |
| Comparable | |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Active |
| Launch sites | Satish Dhawan Space Centre |
| Total launches | 7 |
| Success(es) | 7 |
| Failure(s) | 0 |
| Partial failure(s) | 0 |
| First flight |
|
| Last flight | 14 July 2023 |
| Type of passengers/cargo | |
| First stage – S200 Boosters | |
| Height | 25 m (82 ft) |
| Diameter | 3.2 m (10 ft) |
| Empty mass | 31,000 kg (68,000 lb) each |
| Gross mass | 236,000 kg (520,000 lb) each |
| Propellant mass | 205,000 kg (452,000 lb) each |
| Powered by | Solid S200 |
| Maximum thrust | 5,150 kN (525 tf) |
| Specific impulse | 274.5 seconds (2.692 km/s) (vacuum) |
| Burn time | 128 s |
| Propellant | HTPB |
| Second stage – L110 | |
| Height | 21.39 m (70.2 ft) |
| Diameter | 4.0 m (13.1 ft) |
| Empty mass | 9,000 kg (20,000 lb) |
| Gross mass | 125,000 kg (276,000 lb) |
| Propellant mass | 116,000 kg (256,000 lb) |
| Powered by | 2 Vikas engines |
| Maximum thrust | 1,598 kN (163.0 tf) |
| Specific impulse | 293 seconds (2.87 km/s) |
| Burn time | 203 s |
| Propellant | UDMH / N2O4 |
| Third stage – C25 | |
| Height | 13.545 m (44.44 ft) |
| Diameter | 4.0 m (13.1 ft) |
| Empty mass | 5,000 kg (11,000 lb) |
| Gross mass | 33,000 kg (73,000 lb) |
| Propellant mass | 28,000 kg (62,000 lb) |
| Powered by | 1 CE-20 |
| Maximum thrust | 186.36 kN (19.003 tf) |
| Specific impulse | 442 seconds (4.33 km/s) |
| Burn time | 643 s |
| Propellant | LOX / LH2 |
After several delays and a sub-orbital test flight on 18 December 2014, ISRO successfully conducted the first orbital test launch of LVM3 on 5 June 2017 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
Total development cost of project was ₹2,962.78 crore (equivalent to ₹45 billion or US$560 million in 2023). In June 2018, the Union Cabinet approved ₹4,338 crore (equivalent to ₹58 billion or US$730 million in 2023) to build 10 LVM3 rockets over a five-year period.
The LVM3 has launched CARE, India's space capsule recovery experiment module, Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3 , India's second and third lunar missions, and will be used to carry Gaganyaan, the first crewed mission under Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. In March 2022, UK-based global communication satellite provider OneWeb entered into an agreement with ISRO to launch OneWeb satellites aboard the LVM3 along with the PSLV, due to the launch services from Roscosmos being cut off, caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The first launch took place on 22 October 2022, injecting 36 satellites into Low Earth orbit.