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GSLV Mk. II Launch Vehicle

The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle,
better known by its abbreviation GSLV, is an Indian
expendable launch system that was developed and
is operated by the Indian Space Research
Organization.

The GSLV project was initiated back in the 1990s

when India determined that it needed its own
launch capability for Geosynchronous Satellites to
become independent from other launch providers.
At the time, India was relying on Russian/Soviet
launch vehicles for heavy satellite launches. With
the emergence of commercial launch providers,
such as Arianespace, India shifted its GSO Satellites
to those while GSLV was being developed.

The launch system uses a large number of heritage

components already employed on the Polar
Satellite Launch Vehicle that first flew in 1993. The
three-stage GSLV has an improved performance
over four-stage PSLV with the addition of strap-on
liquid-fueled boosters and a cryogenic upper stage.
GSLV uses a combination of solid fueled, liquid-fueled and cryogenic stages. The vehicle weighs 414,000
Kilograms at liftoff standing 49 meters tall with a core diameter of 2.8 meters.

The first stage is the S139 solid-fueled

stage that is also used on PSLV. Around the
core, four strap-on liquid-fueled boosters
are mounted each featuring a Vikas engine
using storable propellants. The second
stage is also a storable propellant stage
using a single modified Vikas engine while
the third stage is a cryogenic stage using
liquid Oxygen and liquid Hydrogen that is
consumed by an ICE engine. The vehicle
can deploy payloads of up to 2,500
Kilograms to a Geosynchronous Transfer
Orbit, Low Earth Orbit Capability is
5,000kg. GSLV is operated from the Satish Dhawan Space Center. Photos: ISRO

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Over the course of its development, GSLV flew in various

configurations being designated Mk I a, b and c, and Mk II
with Mk III being the successor to the first generation of GSLV
launchers scheduled to make its first flight in 2014.

In the Mk Ia configuration, the most basic version of the

launcher that is now retired, GSLV used a 125-ton Core Stage
and a Russian-built Cryogenic Upper Stage since the Indian-
developed cryogenic stage required more time to be designed
and built. Mk Ia flew its first development flight on April 18,
2001 marking the first launch of the GSLV class vehicle. The
flight was only a partial success as the launcher delivered its
payload, the GSAT-1 Communications Satellite, to a lower-
than planned orbit due to a shortfall in performance either
caused by the vehicle’s guidance system or a premature
shutdown of the third stage. GSAT-1 ended up in a lower orbit
and due to a design flaw in its propulsion system, was unable
to reach Geostationary Orbit rendering its useless for its
original purpose.

In May 2003, Mk Ia flew for the second time. On that mission,

GSLV performed as planned and successfully delivered the
GSAT-2 payload to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. The next GSLV launch came in September 2004 and was the
first flight of the Mk Ib configuration that still used the Russian upper stage, but featured the 139-ton first
stage. The flight was a success and delivered the GSAT-3 spacecraft to its intended orbit to serve as
experimental communications satellite.

On its next flight in July 2006, GSLV suffered another

failure. Shortly after launch, the vehicle had to be
destroyed by Range Safety Personnel because it veered
off its pre-planned course due to the failure of one of
the boosters. Remains of the rocket and the INSAT-4C
payload fell into the Bay of Bengal.

GSLV Mk Ib flew again in September 2007 – successfully

reaching orbit, but placing the INSAT-4CR satellite into a
lower-than-planned orbit at a higher inclination due to a
guidance system issue. The spacecraft reached its orbit
using its own propulsion system and became fully
operational, making this mission a partial success.

Photos: ISRO

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The sixth flight of the GSLV marked the first flight

of the Mk II variant that uses the Indian-built
cryogenic upper stage. The flight test was not
successful as the rocket encountered a
malfunction of the Fuel Booster Turbo Pump on
its third stage causing the loss of the vehicle and
GSAT-4 satellite. Flight 2 of the Mk II version was
attempted in 2010 and marked another failure as
the vehicle was destroyed by the Range Safety
Officer after a loss of control that was the result
of a structural failure.

After that, the GSLV launch system underwent a thorough review and improvements were made to its
Guidance System and Upper Stage to increase its reliability. The GSLV Return to Flight Mission was successfully
performed in 2014.

GSLV Specifications
Type GSLV
Height 49m
Diameter 2.8m
Span 6.9m
Launch Mass 414,000kg
Stage 1 S139
Boosters 4 x L40
Stage 2 GS2
Stage 3 GS3
Mass to LEO 5,000kg
Mass to GTO 2,500kg

The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle in its Mk II configuration stands 49 meters tall, with a Core
Diameter of 2.8 meters and a liftoff mass of about 414,000 Kilograms.

The vehicle features three stages plus an optional fourth stage. The first stage is a solid-fueled stage holding
138,000kg of propellant.

Around the Core Stage, four strap-on, liquid-fueled boosters are installed. One of the oddities about GSLV is
that the four boosters burn longer than the Core Stage does. The second stage of the vehicle is liquid-fueled
and uses storable propellants.

The upper stage is a cryogenic stage that uses LOX and LH2 as propellants. Photo: ISRO

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First Stage
Type S139 The Core Stage of the GSLV is called S139 and is derived
Inert Mass 28,300kg from the PS1 Core Stage of the Polar Satellite Launch
Launch Mass 166,300kg Vehicle.
Diameter 2.8m
Length 20.13m The only change is the removal of the Secondary Injection
Case Material Maraging Steel Thrust Vector Control System that is needed on PSLV. On
Propellant Solid – HTPB Based GSLV, the Boosters are used to control the vehicle during
Propellant Mass 138,000kg first stage flight, thus eliminating the need for a Thrust
Guidance From Upper Stage Vector Control System on the core stage. Adding SITVC
Propulsion S139 Solid Rocket Motor onto the GSLV is optional and was only performed on its
Thrust (Vacuum) 4,860kN very first flight.
Impulse 105sec
The S139 has an inert mass of 28,300kg and holds
Burn Time 106.9sec
138,000kg of HTPB-based (Hydroxyl-terminated
Attitude Control via Boosters, SITVC (Optional)
Stage Separation Flexible Linear Shaped Charge polybutadiene) solid propellant.
Hot Staging The stage is 20.1 meters long and 2.8 meters in diameter
featuring a maraging steel case. It has a vacuum thrust of 4,860 Kilonewtons (495,600kg) and burns for 107
seconds.

The stage separates with the four boosters once

they are reaching depletion. Staging between S139
and GS2 (Stage 2) is accomplished in hot-staging
mode – the second stage ignites 1.6 seconds
ahead of Booster Shutdown.

When the boosters have shut down, the two

stages are separated by flexible linear shaped
charges that pyrotechnically separate the two
stages allowing the spent first stage and boosters
to be pushed away by the second stage.

This maneuver comes at the cost of propellant and

performance but minimizes propellant unsettling
that occurs when igniting in coast mode.

Photo: First Stage Nozzle-End Segment (ISRO)

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Boosters
# Boosters 4
Type LH40
Length 19.7m
Diameter 2.1m
Inert Mass ~5,600kg
Launch Mass 47,600kg
Tank Material Aluminum Alloy
Fuel UH25 – 75% UMDH, 25% Diazane
Oxidizer Nitrogen Tetroxide
Propulsion 1 Vikas 2
Thrust 763kN
Impulse 293 sec
Four liquid-fueled boosters are clustered around the
Engine Dry Weight 900kg
Engine Length 2.87m Core Stage of the vehicle. Each is 2.1 meters in
Engine Diameter 0.99m diameter and 19.7 meters long facilitating two
Burn Time 148sec Aluminum propellant tanks that can hold about 42,000
Chamber Pressure 58.5bar Kilograms of Nitrogen Tetroxide Oxidizer and UH25
Mixture Ratio 1.7 (Ox/Fuel) fuel – a mixture of 75% Unsymmetrical
Attitude Control Single-Plane Engine Gimbaling Dimethylhydrazine and 25% Hydrazine Hydrate. (UH
Stage Separation With Core Stage 25 prevents combustion instability)

Each Booster is equipped with a single Vikas 2 engine which is a Viking engine that was used aboard the
European Ariane 1 launcher and is now manufactured under license in India. The Vikas engine used on GSLV is
a lightly modified Viking 2 engine. It is 2.87 meters long and 0.99m in diameter and weighs 900 Kilograms. The
engine operates at a Chamber Pressure of 58.5 bar and uses an Oxidizer to Fuel Ratio of 1.7. Vikas 2 delivers a
thrust of 763 Kilonewtons (77,800kg). The four boosters have a burn time of 148 seconds.

The Vikas engines on each booster can be gimbaled in a single plane allowing three-axis control during first
stage flight.

The four boosters ignite 4.6 seconds prior to the first stage to allow the Vikas engines to reach operational
conditions before the Core Stage is ignited and the rocket blasts off. In flight, the four boosters continue to
burn after first stage shutdown and are separated from the vehicle with the first stage. The advantage of this
simpler design is that a Booster Separation event is avoided, but it comes at the cost of performance because
the four boosters have to propel the first stage once it has burned out which represents nearly 30 tonnes of
dead weight.

Photo: ISRO
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Second Stage
Type GS2 – L37.5H
Inert Mass ~5,500kg
Launch Mass 44,900kg
Length 11.56m
Diameter 2.8m
Tank Material Aluminum Alloy
Fuel UH25 – 75% UMDH, 25% Diazane
Oxidizer Nitrogen Tetroxide
Propellant Mass 39,400kg
Guidance From Upper Stage
Propulsion 1 Vikas 4
Thrust (Vacuum) 799kN
Impulse 293s
Engine Dry Weight 900kg
Engine Length 3.51m
Engine Diameter 1.70m
Burn Time 158sec
Chamber Pressure 58.5bar The second stage of the GSLV launcher, designated
Mixture Ratio 1.7 (Ox/Fuel) – MR Optimization GS2, also uses hypergolic propellants – NTO and UH25.
Area Ratio 31 It has a launch mass of 44,900kg being 11.6m long and
Prop Flow Rate 278.04kg/s 2.8m in diameter.
Attitude Control Main Engine Gimbaling, Roll RCS The tanks are made of Aluminum alloy and hold
Stage Separation Merman Band 39,400kg of storable propellants that are being
consumed by a single Vikas 4 engine. The engine is based on the Viking 4 of the Ariane 1 launcher and also
features slight modifications. It is optimized for operation in vacuum conditions with an extended nozzle that
has an area ratio of 31.

Vikas 4 is 3.51m long and 1.7m in diameter, weighing about 900kg and generating 799 Kilonewtons of vacuum
thrust (81,500 Kilograms) over the course of its 158-second burn. It operates at an Ox. to Fuel Ratio of 1.7 that
can be optimized by the Flight Control System.

Vehicle Control during the second stage burn its provided by gimbaling the main engine by up to 4 degrees for
pitch and yaw. Roll Control is provided by a Cold Gas Thruster System. The second and third stage again
separate in a hot-staging mode – the second stage shuts down and at the same time, the ignition of the third
stage and the stage separation mechanism, a Merman Band Sep System, are initiated. Photo: ISRO

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Third Stage
Type GS3 – C15
Inert Mass ~2,500kg
Launch Mass ~15,300kg
Length 8.7m
Diameter 2.8m
Tank Material Aluminum Alloy
Fuel Liquid Hydrogen
Oxidizer Liquid Oxygen
Propellant Mass 12,800kg
Guidance Inertial Platform, Closed-Loop
Propulsion 1 ICE (CE-7.5)
Cycle Staged Combustion
Thrust (Vacuum) 73.5 to 93.1kN
Impulse 454sec
Engine Dry Weight 435kg
Engine Length 2.14m
Engine Diameter 1.56m
Burn Time Up to 1,000sec
Chamber Pressure 58bar
Attitude Control 2 Vernier Jets, each 2kN
RCS for Coast Phases
Stage Separation Merman Band, Hot Staging

The third stage or GS3 of the GSLV Mk II is an Indian-built cryogenic upper stage. It is 8.7 meters long and 2.8
meters in diameter featuring two Aluminum Alloy Tanks that hold about 12,800 Kilograms of Liquid Hydrogen
and Liquid Oxygen. The inert mass of the third stage is about 2,500kg.

It is powered by a single ICE (Indian Cryogenic Engine) or CE-7.5. The engine is a staged combustion type
engine. Some of the propellant is used to power the turbopump of the engine before being injected into the
main combustion chamber along with the rest of the propellant. The turbopump spins at about 42,000 rpm.

The engine weighs 445 Kilograms and is 2.14 meters long and 1.56 meters in diameter operating at a chamber
pressure of 58bar. It provides a nominal thrust of 73.5 Kilonewtons (7,500kg), but can be throttled up to
93.1kN (9,500kg).

Usually, the engine operates at a higher thrust level for the first 300 seconds of its burn before throttling down
to nominal thrust for the remainder of its firing that can be up to 1,000 seconds in duration. Vehicle control is
provided by two vernier jets that can be swiveled in all directions to provide three-axis control.

Each vernier provides 2kN (204kg) of thrust. During Coast Phases, a cold gas reaction control system is used for
vehicle stabilization and re-orientations. Photo: ISRO

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The third stage can be re-ignited in flight. The spacecraft is separated by

spring thrusters mounted at the separation interface with the third
stage. The third stage of the launch vehicle also houses the flight
computers and the inertial guidance platform of the GSLV.

The control system was developed and built in India. GSLV uses a
Redundant Strap Down Inertial Navigation System/Inertial Guidance
System that is housed in the equipment bay of the third stage. The
digital control system of the launcher uses closed-loop guidance
throughout the flight to ensure accurate injections into the target orbit.

Also mounted on the third stage is the communications system of the

launch vehicle consisting of an S-Band system for telemetry downlink
and a C-Band transponder that allows radar tracking and preliminary
orbit determination. The communications link is also used for range
safety / flight termination that uses a dedicated system that is located on
all stages of the vehicle and features separate avionics.

Payload Fairing
Diameter 3.4m The Payload Fairing, or “Heat Shield” as ISRO refers to it, is positioned on
Length 7.8m top of the stacked vehicle and its integrated Payload. It protects the
spacecraft against aerodynamic, thermal and acoustic environments that
Construction Aluminum Alloy
the vehicle experiences during atmospheric flight. When the launcher has
Sep Altitude 115km
left the atmosphere, the fairing is jettisoned by pyrotechnical initiated
systems. Separating the fairing as early as possible increases launcher performance.

The fairing of the GSLV is 3.4 meters in

diameter and 7.8 meters in length
offering enough space for a variety of
payloads that are in the weight-category
of GSLV. The fairing is made of Aluminum
Alloy featuring acoustic absorption
blankets.

The fairing is separated at an altitude of

115 Kilometers. Separation is
accomplished by a linear piston cylinder
separation and jettisoning mechanism
(zip cord) running along the full length of
the PLF and a clamp and joint at the base of the fairing. Both systems are pyrotechnically initiated. The gas
pressure generated by the zip cord expands a rubber bellow that pushes that piston and cylinder apart, pushing
the fairing halves laterally away from the launcher. Photos: ISRO
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Optional Fourth Stage

The GSLV launcher can be outfitted with a fourth stage that could serve as apogee module to boost a satellite
or spacecraft into its final orbit or trajectory. Usually, satellites and spacecraft are equipped with their own
propulsion systems that are capable of performing apogee maneuvers so that the fourth stage is not required.

A possible fourth stage design for GSLV closely resembles the fourth stage of the PSLV launcher that uses
storable propellants to provide precise injection capability.

Photo: ISRO

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