AIR Spotlight: India’s Role as a Global Commercial Space Launch Service Provider

AIR Spotlight is an insightful program featured daily on the All India Radio News on air. In this program, many eminent panellists discuss issues of importance which can be quite helpful in IAS exam preparation.

This article is about the discussion on: India’s leading role as a global commercial space launch service provider.

Participants

• Lt. General (Rtd) A.K Bhat: Director General, Indian Space Association (ISpA)
• Omvesh Upadhyaya: AIR Correspondent

Context – India’s space-based services over the years have grown in multitudes. Many new applications are being developed worldwide to meet the growing users’ demands and requirements. Indian space activities are on a growth trajectory with huge commercial potential. ISRO’s LVM-3, in its second commercial launch on March 26, 2023, placed 36 OneWeb satellites in orbit, completing the first generation constellation enabling the UK-based company to initiate global coverage this year. 

India’s Self-Reliance in Space Sector – LMV-3 Mission

New Space India Limited (NSIL), a central public sector enterprise (CPSE) under the Department of Space and commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation ISRO had signed two launch service contracts with UK-based Network Access Associated Limited (OneWeb) for launching OneWeb Low Earth Orbit (LEO) broadband communication satellites (72 satellites) on board ISRO’s LVM-3, for a launch fee of over Rs 1000 crore.

• ISRO’s LVM-3, in its second commercial launch on March 26, placed 36 OneWeb satellites in orbit, completing the first generation constellation enabling the UK-based company to initiate global coverage in this year, 2023.
• The LVM3 carried a total payload of 5,805 kg to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and was launched from the second launchpad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
• This was the eighteenth launch of OneWeb satellites bringing the total number of satellites in the constellation to 618.
• OneWeb Constellation operates in a LEO Polar Orbit and Satellites are arranged in 12 rings (Orbital planes) with 49 satellites in each plane.
• On 23 October 2022, ISRO launched 36 satellites of OneWeb.
• This contract with OneWeb is a historic milestone for NSIL and ISRO as LMV3 made entry into the global commercial launch service market. 

LMV – 3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3, previously known as GSLV-Mk III)

LMV-3 is a three-stage rocket with two solid motor straps-ons, a liquid propellant core stage and a cryogenic stage.

• ISRO’s heavy rocket- LMV-3 has a carrying capacity of 10 tonnes to the LEO and four tonnes to the GTO (Geostationary Transfer Orbit).
• The LVM-3 has had five consecutive successful missions, including the Chandrayaan 2 mission.
• The 43.5 m tall LVM-3 rocket weighs 643 tonnes.

Know more on LMV-3, previously known as GSLV MK III in the linked article.

GSLV and PSLV-

GSLV and PSLV are the two operational launch vehicles developed by ISRO.

PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle)

PSLV is designed mainly to deliver ‘earth observation’ or ‘remote sensing’ satellites with a lift mass of up to about 1750 kg to sun-synchronous circular polar orbits of 600-900 km altitude. 

• PSLV is a four-stage launch vehicle with the first and third stages using solid rocket motors and the second and fourth stages with liquid rocket engines.
• PSLV is older than GSLV.

GSLV (Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle)

GSLV is a much more powerful rocket and is designed mainly to deliver communication satellites to the highly elliptical Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).

• It is a three-stage vehicle with the first stage using a solid rocket motor, the second stage using liquid fuel and the third stage using a cryogenic engine.
• GSLV has a much greater load capacity than PSLV.

 NSIL and IN-SPACe

In June 2020, GoI opened up the space sector for private sector participation. 

• The government established New Space India Limited (NSIL), the country’s first public sector undertaking in the space sector and Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) as the promoter and regulator of space activities in India by non-government and private entities.
• Under the reforms, private players are allowed to use ISRO’s infrastructure, scientific and technical resources, and even data for their space programmes.
•  NSIL is empowered to “own” the operational launch vehicles and space assets of ISRO. The ‘supply-based’ model was changed to the ‘demand-driven’ model wherein NSIL acts as an aggregator of user requirements and obtains commitments.
• IN-SPACe is constituted as an autonomous agency in the Department of Space (DoS) for enabling space activities, as well as, usage of Department of Space-owned facilities by Non-Governmental Private Entities (NGPEs) and to permit, regulate, promote, hand-hold, monitor and supervise space activities of NGPEs in India.

Space Startups

There has been tremendous growth in the number of startups in the space sector and this growth follows the government’s move to open up the space sector to private players. India’s space startups are taking India into a new orbit of the global space economy.

• In November 2022, Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace created history by becoming the first private organisation to launch a rocket from ISRO’s launch pad in Sriharikota.
• The space tech startup Agnikul Cosmos became the first Indian company to sign an agreement with ISRO in December 2020. The agreement signed under the IN-SPAce initiative sanctioned Agnikul access to ISRO’s expertise and facilities to build Agniban (a 2-stage launch vehicle) and launchpads.
• Digantara, Pixxel, and Vesta Space Technology are amongst the other space startups in the country.

Conclusion – The Indian space sector has been witnessing increasing participation of the private sector, not only in the traditional vendor role but also in taking up end-to-end space activities. Almost every sector, agriculture, transport, and weather (to name a few) wants satellite data and imageries and space technology to draw their future strategy and grow. ISRO is providing all its facilities to private players and supporting their space-related projects (which are approved by In-SPACe).

AIR Spotlight: India’s Role as a Global Commercial Space Launch Service Provider:- Download PDF Here

Read previous AIR Spotlight articles in the link.