ISRO lines up 7 launches

Bengaluru: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), in preparation for one of its busiest periods in recent years, has lined up seven launch missions by March next year, including a key test of indigenous electric propulsion and quantum communication systems, and the first uncrewed flight of the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme.

The first mission in this series is expected as early as next week, signalling a tightly packed launch calendar with both strategic and commercial goals.

At the heart of the schedule is India’s heaviest rocket, the LVM3. Under a commercial agreement handled by New Space India Limited (NSIL), the LVM3 will place the Bluebird-6 communication satellite of US-based AST SpaceMobile into orbit. Union minister Jitendra Singh recently informed Parliament that this mission marks another step in ISRO’s expanding role as a launch service provider in the global market.

The LVM3 will also play a central role in India’s human spaceflight ambitions. Early next year, the human-rated rocket will carry the first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission, with a humanoid robot named Vyommitra onboard the crew module. This mission is designed to test the full sequence of a human spaceflight, from launch to recovery.