The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is ISRO's proven four-stage workhorse rocket, commercially marketed by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) for launching satellites into sun-synchronous, low-Earth, and sub-GTO/GTO orbits.
PSLV
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is ISRO's proven four-stage workhorse rocket, commercially marketed by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) for launching satellites into sun-synchronous, low-Earth, and sub-GTO/GTO orbits.
Description
PSLV is India's third-generation launch vehicle and the first Indian rocket equipped with liquid propulsion stages. It uses four stages that alternate between solid and liquid propulsion: a solid first stage with strap-on boosters, a liquid second stage (Vikas engine), a solid third stage, and a liquid fourth stage for precise orbital injection. Originally designed to deploy India's IRS-class Earth observation satellites into sun-synchronous polar orbit, PSLV has proven versatile enough to also reach low-inclination LEO, sub-GTO, and GTO, and has launched India's landmark interplanetary and lunar missions, including Chandrayaan-1 (2008), the Mars Orbiter Mission (2013), Chandrayaan-2 (2019), and Aditya-L1 (2023). First flown in 1993, PSLV became commercially available from 1999 and built an extraordinary reliability record over three decades. Commercial marketing and contracting of PSLV launch services, previously handled by Antrix Corporation, was transferred to NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a public sector company under the Department of Space, which now serves as ISRO's commercial arm selling PSLV launches to domestic and international customers.
Specifications
| Height | 44 m |
|---|---|
| Core diameter | 2.8 m |
| Stages | 4 stages, alternating solid and liquid propulsion |
| Lift-off mass (PSLV-XL) | 320,000 kg |
| Payload to LEO (PSLV-XL, 200 km) | 3,800 kg |
| Payload to SSO (PSLV-XL, 620 km) | 1,750 kg |
| Payload to GTO (PSLV-XL) | 1,300 kg |
| First flight | 20 September 1993 (PSLV-G) |
| Launch site | Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR), Sriharikota |
| Flight heritage (mid-2026) | 64 total launches since 1993; 58 fully successful, 1 partial failure, 5 outright failures (most recent: Jan 2026); notable payloads include Chandrayaan-1, Mars Orbiter Mission, Chandrayaan-2, Aditya-L1, and over 320 satellites for international customers across 30+ countries |