Maiden launch of GSLV Mark-III in 2009
ISRO Ahmedabad, May 4 (PTI): India's ambition to grab a slice of the
billion-dollar global satellite launch market will get a major boost
when ISRO makes the maiden launch of its new Geosynchronous Satellite
Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark-III in 2009.

"The development of GSLV Mark-III is progressing well and we hope to
have its maiden launch in 2009," said Madhavan Nair, Chairman of Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO), on Thursday.

The GSLV Mark-III is an entirely new three-stage launch vehicle and is
not derived from PSLV or GSLV Mark-I or II series.

With the development of GSLV Mark-III, India will be able to launch
heavy satellites into the geosynchronous transfer orbit. This vehicle is
billed as the technological successor to GSLV Mark-II.

Nair, who was at Space Applications Centre here to attend a "National
Telemedicine Users' Meet", told the media that ISRO had identified the
problems that had caused the failure of GSLV Mark-II launch last year.

"Last year we had a failure. But we have identified the reasons for it."

"There is nothing wrong with the design or any of the other sub-systems.
It was only a fabrication error which caused the failure," he said of
the three-stage 414 tonne launch vehicle which had lifted off from
Satish Dhawan Space Centre in July 2006 only to plunge into the Bay of
Bengal with a 2,168-kg INSAT-4C satellite.

Nair said ISRO had rectified the snag and the space agency will be
re-launching the GSLV Mark-II by October this year.

"We hope that we will be able to make a launch sometime in September or
October this year," Nair said.

"Till date we have had four launches of GSLV of which only one has
failed."

The first two flights of GSLV were developmental, while the third was an
EDUSAT communication satellite launch in September 2004.

Nair said satellite launch vehicles like the PSLVs and the GSLVs will
also be used for commercial launches by ISRO.

"We are trying to sell it to the extent possible."

"The GSLV Mark-II is a very good vehicle for launching small
satellites," he said, adding the vehicle could carry 2,500-kgs of
payload into the geosynchronous transfer orbit.

Earlier, speaking at the inaugural function of the "National
Telemedicine Users' Meet", Nair said the year 2007 had begun well for
ISRO in terms of space launches.

He hailed the ISRO's space-recovery experiment conducted in January this
year as the best achievement for the space agency.

"The space capsule was in space for 12 days, conducted experiments and
had later successfully re-entered the earth's atmosphere," Nair said.

"It is the best achievement anybody can dream of."