Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is an indigenously-developed expendable launch system of the ISRO.
It comes in the category of medium-lift launchers with a reach up to various orbits, including the Geo Synchronous Transfer Orbit, Lower Earth Orbit, and Polar Sun Synchronous Orbit.
PSLV has a four-stage system comprising a combination of solid and liquid-fuelled rocket stages.
- The first stage at the very bottom is solid fuelled having six strap-on solid rocket boosters wrapped around it.
- The second stage is liquid-fuelled whereas the third stage has a solid-fuelled rocket motor.
- In the fourth stage, the launcher uses a liquid propellant to boost outer space.
It is the first Indian launch vehicle to be equipped with liquid stages.
Its first successful launch took place in October 1994.

Payloads of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle

It is capable of placing multiple payloads into orbit. Thus, multi-payload adaptors are used in the payload fairing.
During the 1994-2017 period, the vehicle launched 48 Indian satellites and 209 satellites for customers from abroad.
Some notable payloads launched by PSLV include
- India’s first lunar probe Chandrayaan-1,
- India’s first interplanetary mission – Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) and
- India’s first space observatory – Astrosat.
It can take up to 1,750 kg of payload to Sun-Synchronous Polar Orbits at 600 km altitude.

20 April 2023:
- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch Singapore’s TeLEOS-2 satellite, an earth observation satellite.
- The launch will be carried out by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).