The renowned Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is set to launch its Chandrayaan-3 Mission using a Launch Vehicle Mark (LVM) 3. This ambitious endeavor is scheduled to occur on the 14th of July, 2023.
Launch Vehicles of the ISRO
The ISRO operates with three different classes of launch vehicles, each one serving unique purposes, but all crucial to the realization of India’s space mission objectives. These classes include the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), Geostationary Launch Vehicle (GSLV), and Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV).
PSLV, often regarded as the workhorse of ISRO due to its low failure rate and exceptional reliability, has the capacity to lift payloads of up to 3.8 tonnes into Low Earth Orbit. On the other hand, GSLV is designed to handle heavier payloads and reach higher orbits if necessary. Like PSLV, GSLV also provides multiple configurations with the most powerful being LVM-3.
Finally, SSLV, a three-stage launch vehicle, can be distinguished by its three Solid Propulsion Stages and a liquid propulsion-based Velocity Trimming Module (VTM) assigned as a terminal stage.
The LVM 3 Launch Vehicle
Designed for heftier tasks, LVM-3 is the most robust configuration currently utilized by ISRO. The launch vehicle comprises of three stages. The first includes 2 S200 boosters straps located at the bottom sides of the rocket body. These boosters combust a solid fuel known as hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene.
For its second stage, LVM-3 utilizes Vikas Engines that ignite liquid fuel, popularly nitrogen tetroxide or unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine. The final, uppermost stage benefits from a cryogenic engine that enables the combustion of liquified hydrogen coupled with liquified oxygen. LVM-3’s payload capacity is an impressive 8 tonnes in low earth orbit.
LVM 3 has already been deployed on several missions, including OneWeb India-2 Mission, OneWeb India-1 Mission, Chandrayaan-2 Mission, GSAT-29 Mission, GSAT-19 Mission, and the CARE Mission.
The Chandrayaan-3 Mission
Chandrayaan-3 marks India’s third moon mission and serves as a successor to the Chandrayaan-2 mission launched in July 2019. That mission was aimed at landing a rover on the lunar South Pole. However, the subsequent failure of the Vikram lander has driven ISRO to embark on the Chandrayaan-3 mission. The mission is focused on demonstrating the landing capabilities required for the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission, proposed in partnership with Japan, slated for 2024.
The Chandrayaan-3 mission comprises three main modules: the propulsion module, lander module, and rover. The propulsion module is responsible for carrying the lander and rover configuration to the 100 km lunar orbit. The lander is designed to perform a soft landing at a predetermined lunar site and deploy the rover. This rover will then carry out in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface as it moves across the terrain.
