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GSLV Mk III enters operational service on record-breaking flight.

India’s mammoth third-generation Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, known as GSLV Mk III, made its first operational flight early Monday morning, June 5. Riding the booster into orbit was the GSAT-19 communications satellite weighing in at 6,913 pounds - the heaviest payload ever launched by India and over double the lifting capacity of the previous GSLV vehicle. GSLV Mk 3 made its debut on December 18, 2014, launching a scale version of a potential crew vehicle into a ballistic trajectory while testing out the rocket’s side booster and core stage. However, that flight only carried a mass simulator for the cryogenic upper stage which was still undergoing development. After undergoing initial ground testing in early 2017, the upper stage was finally ready for an orbital flight.

Liftoff occurred at 5:28pm local time, or 7:58am EDT, from the Satish Dahwan Space Center. The rocket’s twin 86-foot tall solid rocket boosters provided all the lifting power to send the vehicle into flight with its twin-engined core stage igniting almost two minutes later.  Five minutes after liftoff, with both strap-on boosters and the payload fairing already jettisoned, the cryogenic upper stage separated from the core stage and ignited on its first-ever in space firing. The stage performed flawlessly for the ten minutes it fired, placing the GSAT-19 satellite into orbit 15 minutes and 45 seconds after launch.

Numerous changes were made to the GSLV Mk III vehicle following its December 2014 test flight based on data gathered during that flight. To give the rocket better aerodynamic qualities, the solid rocket booster’s nosecones were tapered in towards the core stage and the payload fairing was changed from a cylindrical shape to that of an ogive - similar to the American Atlas V 500 series.

P/c: ISRO.

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A first step to space - India's CARE module after splashdown.

India's CARE module is seen after splashdown in the Bay of Bengal, 18 December 2014. CARE, short for Crew module Atmospheric Recovery Experiment, is a testbed spacecraft the same dimensions and weight as India's proposed crew vehicle. The experiment tested flight and reentry characteristics as well as recovery operations. CARE was launched at 9:30 AM Indian Standard Time on 18 December (10 PM EST 17 December) on the inaugural test flight of the Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk III. India developed the GSLV Mk III to offer domestic access to space for their heaviest satellites.  Splashdown occurred just over 20 minutes after launch. Indian Coast Guard forces were nearby to recover the vehicle. The Indian government has not formally committed to a manned space project. Instead, funding has been granted for researching different vehicle designs and technologies for a future crew vehicle.

Read the full article on India's GSLV flight here. Complete coverage of the historic GSLV Mk III flight can be found here.

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India, rising - Heavy-lift GSLV Mk III flight a success.

India's GSLV Mk III rocket lifts off on its maiden voyage December 18, 2014 at 11:00 PM EST (9:30AM Indian Standard Time).

The flight was a complete success, testing the new rocket's flight profile, avionics systems and booster technology. 

Two S200 solid fuel motors propelled the vehicle off the launch pad, followed by the liquid fuelled L110 core stage. The rocket will eventually boast a cryogenic third stage which will place payloads in their desired orbits. Thursday's launch marked a major milestone in India's goal to domestically launch heavy payloads that have previously required the use of Europe's Ariane V rocket. 

“India, you have a new launch vehicle,” said S. Somanath, ISRO’s project director for the GSLV Mk. 3 rocket. “The payload capabilities of our current launch vehicles have been significantly enhanced through the development of this launch vehicle.”

Additionally, the flight also gathered important data on the reentry, recovery and flight characteristics of India's proposed crew spacecraft. The CARE module - a testbed space capsule short for Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment - landed on target in the Bay of Bengal 20 minutes after liftoff.

“This was a very significant day in the history of the Indian space program,” said K. Radhakrishnan, chairman of ISRO.  The CARE module was the same size and weight as India’s proposed crew spacecraft. However, the Indian government has not formally committed to a manned space project. Instead, funding has been granted for researching different vehicle designs and technologies for a future crew vehicle. The launch occured from Pad 2 at the Satish Dhawan space center near Sriharikota, India.

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The webcast of tonight's GSLV Mk III launch by the Indian Space Research Organisation has now begun.

Click here to see the broadcast as well as up-to-the-minute updates.

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We are now less than four hours away from the launch of India's third-generation Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle with the CARE module. So far, every aspect of the 24.5 hour countdown has gone according to plan. Liftoff is scheduled for 9:30 Indian Standard Time, or 11:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. Seen above, the GSLV Mk III stands on Pad #2 at the Satish Dhawan space center near Sriharikota, India.

Watch the launch on ISRO's website here.

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India's GSLV Mk III poised for launch

On Monday, 15 December, five days after rolling out to the launch pad, the Indian Space Research Organization completed a nine and a half hour launch dress rehearsal of their next-generation heavy launch vehicle, the GSLV Mk III. Launch is scheduled for 18 December, 2014, at 9:00 AM Indian Standard Time.

For those in the United States, the launch window opens tonight, 17 December at 10:30 PM EST and extends to 1:30 AM EST. (IST is 10.5 hours ahead of EST.)

The vehicle is an improvement on the GSLV family of launch vehicles, which, along with the PSLV, is the workhorse of the Indian rocket fleet.

GLSV Mk III was developed to launch large Indian Geostationary satellites domestically. Currently, operators must purchase flights on foreign rockets such as the Ariane V to reach Geostationary Transfer Orbit.

“GSLV Mk III is conceived and designed to make ISRO fully self-reliant in launching heavier communication satellites of INSAT-4 class, which weigh 4500 to 5000 kg,” the Indian Space Research Organization says.

This suborbital inaugural flight will test the flight characteristics of the vehicle's first and second stages. The cryogenic third stage will not be flown on this mission.

The rocket's payload will be a boilerplate Crew Module Simulator for India's planned crewed spacecraft. CARE - short for Crew-module Atmospheric Reentry Experiment - will test the spacecraft's heat shield and recovery techniques. 21 minutes after liftoff, CARE is expected to splash down in the Bay of Bengal.

Similar to Europe's 1998 Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator, the test capsule will be attached upside down on the Mk III's passive third stage interface. India hopes to launch crewed space missions in the 2020’s.