Next Generation Launch Vehicle
The Next Generation Launch Vehicle or NGLV (previously referred to as Unified Launch Vehicle or ULV) is a three-stage partially reusable rocket, currently under development by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This vehicle is designed to replace currently operational systems like PSLV, GSLV and LVM3.
| Function | Medium to Heavy-lift launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | ISRO |
| Country of origin | India |
| Size | |
| Height | 75 m (246 ft) |
| Width | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Mass | 600 t (590 long tons; 660 short tons) to 700 t (690 long tons; 770 short tons) |
| Stages | 3 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | |
| Mass | 20,000 kg (44,000 lb) |
| Payload to GTO | |
| Mass | 10,000 kg (22,000 lb) |
| Associated rockets | |
| Comparable | |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Under Development |
| Launch sites | Satish Dhawan Space Centre |
| Total launches | 0 |
This family of three launchers was previously being designed for replacing the different core propulsion modules of PSLV, GSLV, and LVM3 respectively with a common semi-cryogenic engine and hence it was named as Unified Launch Vehicle (ULV). Unlike the latest proposal of the launcher, the initial proposals were planned to be expendable. But the new proposals under the name of Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) suggests launchers having partial reusability.
According to ISRO Chairman S. Somanath, the new rocket has a load capacity of between 20 and 1,215 tonnes.