ISRO Fleet of satellite launchers makes great strides amidst global launch competition

• ISRO’s fleet of rockets exist first and foremost to give India independence from foreign launchers. But they also offer commercial opportunities
• ISRO’s rockets exist primarily to serve India’s national interests, including civil needs
• ISRO has launched the Mk III six times now, all successful
• ISRO is working on increasing Mk III’s payload capacity further to complement its workhorse, medium-lift PSLV rocket
• Mk III was particularly created to drastically reduce India’s dependence on Europe-based Arianespace for launching its heaviest satellites

Bangalore, April 10. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO’S) fleet of rockets exist first and foremost to give India independence from foreign launchers. But they also offer commercial opportunities, as illustrated by the OneWeb launches.

An Indian GSLV Mk III rocket launched and deployed 36 OneWeb satellites on March 26, marking ISRO’s second commercial launch for the UK firm.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 terminated OneWeb’s launch arrangement with Roscosmos, which had already launched 428 satellites for the company aboard Soyuz rockets.

India seized the opportunity by offering OneWeb prioritized rides to meet the company’s urgent need.

New Space India Limited (NSIL), a Department of Space company tasked with commercializing Indian space technologies, negotiated on behalf of ISRO and won the two OneWeb contracts at $60 million per launch—just under the $67 million price tag of a dedicated SpaceX Falcon 9.

ISRO has launched the Mk III six times now, all successful. At ~6,000 kilograms each, the two OneWeb launches were the heaviest payloads ever carried on an Indian rocket.

ISRO is working on increasing Mk III’s payload capacity further to complement its workhorse, medium-lift PSLV rocket. The agency is also human-rating the Mk III to launch astronauts by mid-decade for project Gaganyaan, which would make the rocket more reliable.

As of its last flight on November 26, the PSLV has launched 348 satellites for 36 countries since its first commercial launch in 1999.

To keep the vehicle relevant amid increasing global launch competition, NSIL awarded a $104 million contract in September to a consortium of major PSLV contractors to have fully industry-built PSLVs with increased production rates and reduced prices.

In parallel, with a successful launch this February, ISRO’s new modular SSLV rocket is set to enter the cut-throat smallsat market with a lower target price and quicker turnaround than Rocket Lab’s Electron.

NSIL aims to offer as many as ten SSLV launches a year by 2026.

Evidently, the primary factor limiting commercial success for Indian rockets isn’t pricing but launch frequency.

India can currently produce a Mk III every six to eight months.

NSIL and ISRO want to cut that in half by 2025. But even when coupled with increased production rates of the PSLV and SSLV, the country simply has no plans to launch as amply as the Falcon 9.

Again, all of ISRO’s rockets exist primarily to serve India’s national interests, including civil needs.

Mk III was particularly created to drastically reduce India’s dependence on Europe-based Arianespace for launching its heaviest satellites.

In fact, ISRO Chief S. Somanath said in a post-launch briefing that the Mk III used for the March 26 lift of OneWeb satellites debuted upgraded solid rocket boosters with increased margins.

These are designed for future Gaganyaan flights, and are thus being tested ahead of time.

Once operational for the nation’s own needs, ISRO’s fleet of rockets are offered commercially. The MK III’s orbital loft of OneWeb satellites solidifies ISRO’s small but definitive place in the global space launch market.