Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch a 75-tonne satellite on a 40-storey tall rocket, said Chairman V Narayanan on August 19. Narayanan said that India’s first rocket launcher was of 17 tonnes and could place a 35 kg payload in low Earth orbit.
“You know, what is the capacity of the rocket? The first launcher, (Dr APJ) Abdul Kalam ji, which he built, was a 17-tonne lift-off mass, capable of placing 35 kg in low earth orbit,” Narayanan said, while addressing the convocation ceremony at Osmania University in Hyderabad. “Today, we are conceiving a rocket to place 75,000 kg in low Earth orbit. The rocket is of a 40-storey building height,” he added.
Narayanan noted that the space agency has lined up with projects such as the NAVIC (Navigation with India Constellation system) satellite and the N1 rocket. In addition, it will place a 6,500 kg communication satellite of the US into orbit using Indian rockets. Further, he said that ISRO has also planned to launch Technology Demonstration Satellite (TDS) and GSAT-7R, an Indian military communication satellite, specifically designed for the Indian Navy to replace the existing GSAT-7 (Rukmini) satellite, this year.
From the current 55 satellites in orbit, the number will surge three times in another three to four years, the ISRO Chairman said.
