After final development flight, small rocket SSLV now aims for big market

At the end of a six-and-a-half hour countdown, at 9.17 am IST, India's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle(SSLV) rocket zoomed towards the skies in Sriharikota, for the third time in three years. Barely 14 minutes after launch, the 120-ton rocket placed its primary payload, a 175kg 'EOS-08' earth-imaging satellite in an orbit that's 475kms above the earth, following which a privately-built secondary payload was ejected into orbit. This successful mission marked the third demonstration flight of India's newest and smallest rocket.

The initial two or three flights of a rocket are known as developmental flights. These launches are meant to test and prove the crucial systems and technologies aboard the rocket. Once the developmental flights are accomplished, the rocket can be built and launched more often and can be deployed to undertake commercial missions.

SSLV had its maiden developmental flight in August 2022 and encountered a software-driven failure in its final minutes as it flew towards its designated orbit. SSLV tasted success in its second developmental flight that took place in February 2023. Friday's launch is the third and final in thisseries.

Speaking after the successful launch mission, ISRO Chief Dr S.Somanath said that the EOS_08 satellite and the co-passenger were placed in a precise orbit with no deviations. He added that the SSLV development process is complete and the following step would be to Transfer the SSLV technology to the Indian industry and commence the serial production of the rocket. In due course, ISRO hopes to perform multiple launches with SSLV and turn it into a reliable workhorse rocket. From three developmental flights in three years, SSLV will now move to the operational phase, said SS Vinod, the Mission Director of SSLV-D3/EOS-08.

SSLV - Small rocket aiming for a Big market

With the rapid advances in micro-electronics and computing technologies, satellites are getting smaller and lighter, while having increased capabilities. Be it academia, startups or national space agencies, small satellites have become easy to build and deploy in large numbers. From earth-imaging to beaming internet from space, small satellites are able to cater to a wide range of lucrative industries. It is amid the growing global demand for launching small satellites that ISRO has built the SSLV.

Indian space agency, ISRO, launches the third and final developmental flight of SSLV-D3/EOS-08 mission, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh

Video: @isro

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ISRO saysthe SSLV can be assembled in less than a week and can be rapidly deployed for launch. Compare this with the heavier PSLV and GSLV rockets that take around 40 days to assemble and launch. Being a modern-day rocket, SSLV uses industry-friendly manufacturing processes. This would help Indian industries thatwould eventually be building SSLVs in large numbers for commercial launches.

India knows well that it cannot (in the near future) compete in the global heavy-lift league of rocketry that is being dominated by SpaceX. Instead, ISRO is focussing on the lucrative small satellite launch market, by fielding the SSLV. Solid-fuelled rockets like the SSLV can also be manufactured and stored for long periods as they come with pre-filled fuel. Once the need arises, the rocket can be rapidly assembled and launched. This also makes it a strategic use asset, as such rockets can be used to place satellites in orbit, at short notice and amidcrisis.