Space
ISRO’S advanced heavy-lift rocket
▪ ISRO is developing a heavy-lift rocket, referred to as the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), which will be as tall as a 40-storey building.
▪ This rocket is being designed to carry a massive payload of 75,000 kg (75 tonnes) into low
Earth orbit (LEO), a significant leap from the 35 kg capacity of India’s first indigenous rocket, the SLV-3.
▪ NGLV Features: The new heavy-lift rocket will also have a “recoverable first stage,” a feature
aimed at making space launches more cost-effective.
▪ Currently, India has 55 satellites operational in space. This number will triple in the next 3 to 4 years.
Future Missions of ISRO
✓ TDS – Technology Demonstration Satellite
✓ GSAT-7R satellite – will assist Indian military communications
✓ GSAT-7 (Rukmini) – a satellite specifically designed for the Indian Navy as a replacement
for the communication satellite
✓ A Venus Orbiter Mission has also been approved and we shall be sending a spacecraft to
study planet Venus.
