ISRO’s Roadmap and NGLV Development
ISRO’s roadmap includes uncrewed moon missions, mastering human-centric space travel technologies, and developing heavy-lift rockets.
The NGLV, recently approved by the Union Cabinet, will triple the payload capacity of India’s current heaviest rocket, the LVM3.
The NGLV’s reusability offers cost savings, making it more competitive, although it sacrifices some payload capacity to ensure a controlled descent for reusability.
Immediate Needs for Heavy Lift Rockets
India currently lacks sufficient heavy-lift capacity.
For the upcoming uncrewed moon mission, two LVM3 rockets will be needed to carry the necessary modules.
ISRO's GSAT-N2 satellite was launched using SpaceX's Falcon 9 because ISRO’s LVM3 rocket couldn’t carry the 4,700 kg payload to the required orbit.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets, especially the reusable Starship, offer much larger payload capacities than India’s current rockets, emphasizing the need for faster development of reusable, heavy-lift rockets.
Leveraging the Private Sector
India should involve its private sector in developing reusable, heavy-lift rockets, creating competition and redundancy.
The government can incentivize private companies with contracts to develop rockets, using a milestone-based funding mechanism to ensure progress and cost control.
Collaboration with foreign companies can help overcome gaps in rocket technology expertise, fostering innovation and technical growth.
A strong private sector ecosystem will support India’s long-term space goals and reduce reliance on external players like SpaceX for heavy-lift missions.
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