HELSINKI — India is planning up to 30 launches over a 15-months period, indicating the ambition for a significant rise in both civil and commercial launch activities.
The launch plans are a mix of scientific, commercial, user-funded and technology demonstration missions across the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2023-24 and the fiscal year 2024-25. Seven test launches will serve India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight project, with nine others under the aegis of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Another 14 launches are dedicated to India’s nascent commercial space sector and arranged by the New Space India Limited (NSIL). Seven will consist of four Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLVs), one Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM-3)—usually used to access geostationary orbit—and two Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) launches. The other seven will be test launches for private players.
The private plans consist of suborbital and orbital launches by commercial firms Agnikul Cosmos—with the Agnibaan SOrTeD (Suborbital Tech Demonstrator)—and Skyroot Aerospace (Vikram-1).
The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), an independent nodal agency under the Department of Space established to promote, enable, regulate, and supervise commercial activities, released the launch manifest Feb. 8.
The manifest includes the completed early January launch of an X-ray astronomy satellite and the upcoming INSAT-3DS meteorological satellite mission. The latter is due to launch on GSLV-F14 at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Feb. 17.
The moves follow a new national space policy introduced…
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