India’s First Private PSLV Launch: TDS-1 Mission Set to Test 35 Innovative Technologies!

BENGALURU: India’s first private Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is being developed by a partnership between HAL and L&T. This rocket will carry the TDS-1, a technology demonstration satellite designed to test 35 new homegrown technologies.

In an interview, ISRO chairman V. Narayanan shared that the launch is set for the third quarter of this year. This event will be significant as it marks the first PSLV made by a private company, part of a contract for five rockets. Right now, the vehicle is in advanced stages of development with ISRO offering technical support.

The TDS-1 will showcase various advancements, including chemical and electric propulsion. It will also test an indigenous atomic clock and quantum payloads. The final count of experiments is yet to be confirmed, but the goal is to test 35 innovations. One notable feature will be a 300 milli-Newton electric propulsion thruster developed at ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), which is currently being tested for its lifecycle.

Narayanan mentioned that ISRO previously used a smaller 75mN thruster on the GSAT-9, but TDS-1 will be the first to implement a fully local system, including components like the power processing unit and control systems.

Moving on to ISRO’s Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), Narayanan explained that this project aims to lift a massive 1,000 tonnes, reaching a height of 93 meters—more than a 30-story building. The NGLV will have three propulsion stages and two strap-on boosters. Its core stage will use nine LOX-methane engines that each produce 110 tonnes of thrust.

As for the second stage, it will have two LOX-methane engines, while the upper stage will rely on a LOX-hydrogen cryogenic engine. The design phase for the engines is nearly complete, and ISRO is working on the necessary structures and subsystems with manufacturing partners.

This journey with TDS-1 and NGLV represents a leap forward for India’s space ambitions, highlighting the country’s growing capabilities in aerospace technology.

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