First Private-Built PSLV and ISRO’s NGLV Plans
Why in the news
A HAL-L&T consortium is producing the first PSLV made by private industry, under ISRO guidance. The flight, due in Q3 2025, marks a step for private participation in space.
Key facts: TDS-1 mission
- Payload: Technology Demonstration Satellite (TDS-1), testing up to 35 indigenous technologies.
- 300 mN electric thruster from ISRO’s LPSC; ISRO earlier flew a 75 mN unit on GSAT-9, so this is the first fully indigenous electric propulsion system.
- Atomic clock and quantum payloads built in India, plus extra chemical propulsion.
Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV)
Meant for heavier payloads: lift-off mass near 1,000 tonnes, height about 93 m (a 30-35 storey building).
| Stage | Engines |
|---|---|
| Core | Nine LOX-methane, 110 tonnes thrust each |
| Second | Two LOX-methane, 128 tonnes propellant |
| Upper | LOX-hydrogen cryogenic C-32, 32 tonnes propellant |
- Design of 11 LOX-methane engines is final; subsystems are being built with industry.
Exam angle
- Consortium: HAL and L&T; thruster designer: LPSC.