It's soon going to be 30 years since India’s first rocket, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) made its maiden flight and carried an 846kg IRS-1E satellite on 20 September 1993.
Fast forward to 2023, and India’s first commercial rocket PSLV is still going strong with the successful launch of Aditya L1 today. The PSLV rocket will achieve a milestone of three decades this month.
Flagship Missions of the PSLV Rocket
The PSLV rocket successfully launched three of India's flagship missions: Chandrayaan-1 - The Moon mission; the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), unofficially named Mangalyaan; and Aditya L1 - the Sun Mission.
Over 30 years, the PSLV has not only orbited India’s own satellites but launched 431 foreign satellites belonging to 36 countries since 1999.
The rocket has also been used to put 104 satellites into orbit in a single flight.
Types of PSLV Rocket
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched five types of PSLV rocket - Standard, Core Alone, XL, DL, and QL.
The rockets differ in which strap-on boosters they use a factor which is largely determined by the weight of satellite being sent into orbit.
The PSLV is typically a four-stage rocket with a combination of solid and liquid fuel engines.
It is also equipped with six booster motors attached to the first stage to provide increased thrust during the initial phase of the flight.