Bengaluru: The ‘Fat Boy,’ otherwise known as Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mark III (GSLV-Mk III) is set to bring the nation fat earnings with Indian Space Research Organistaion (ISRO), the country’s premier space agency, planning its launch from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on June 5.
The launch will mark India’s entry into the 4-tonne segment of the international space launch market, saving it the money it has been paying for using the heavy duty Ariane rocket of the European Space Agency (ESA) for launching its bigger communication satellites. Fat Boy will carry the heaviest payload in Isro’s history-3.2 tonnes. And it will test the Cryogenic engine on which Isro has been working hard for the last 25 years.
The GSLV-Mk III will carry GSAT-19 satellite, the likes of which have been so far been launched on Arine. The ability to launch satellites to the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit or GTO, 36,000 km above the earth, will ensure enormous savings for India.
So far, India’s workhorse has been the PSLV which places satellites in a lower earth orbit. And it can carry payloads only upto 1,500 kg whereas GSLV can carry payloads upto 4 tonnes and place them in a higher orbit. The success of GSLV would also provide ISRO the muscle and technology to achieve its manned mission target.
The GSLV-Mk III is the heaviest rocket ever made by India but it is still not one of the largest or most powerful rockets in the world. That distinction belongs to the planned Space Launch System (SLS) of NASA, Saturn V also of NASA and Falcon Heavy, the next main launch vehicle planned by SpaceX of Elon Musk. GSLV Mk II at best can be compared with Falcon 9 v1.0.
ISRO and India lost nearly 15 years because of US sanctions post-Pokhran II that denied it cryogenic technology. However, the organisation took it as a challenge and developed the technology indigenously, which itself is an achievement, not to forget the fact that at last, the country has a launcher capable of placing satellites in high earth orbit.
