The Indian space journey to the ‘Red Planet’, with the launch of the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM or Mangalyaan) on Tuesday by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), no doubt marks a big leap into planetary exploration. Although only the beginning of a long and arduous odyssey into the unknown regions of outer space, the Rs 450 crore project, along with Chandrayan-1 or the Moon Mission, has put India in the elite club of countries venturing into space exploration and planetary studies.

Mangalyaan, moreover, has also demonstrated the mastery that Indian scientists have achieved in putting small satellites (weighing up to 1,500 kg) into the near (polar) orbit using indigenously built Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). With 25 perfect launches, crowning with the MOM, the four-stage PSLV rocket has become a veritable ‘workforce’ that has enabled ISRO to do commercial business by putting into orbit small satellites from other countries as well.

It has taken over 25 years to reach this level of perfection.

The ‘game changer’ GSLV

But the success of Mangalyaan and Chandrayan should not detract from the far bigger challenge of building launch vehicles that can carry higher payloads and propel probes deeper into outer space. That is where there the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) fits in.

Dubbed as the ‘game changer’ that holds the key to India’s growth as a genuine space power, the GSLV helps put heavier satellites (above 2.5 tonnes) into the more distant geosynchronous transfer orbit. At these heights, the satellites follow the earth’s rotation, while appearing to be stationary in a fixed position. It also makes this orbit ideal for telecommunication satellites or monitoring weather patterns on a continuous basis.

While the PSLV may rake in some business, it is the GSLV that can make the Indian space programme truly vibrant through the capability to launch heavier payloads and making the country a cost-effective launch services provider. The country is, in fact, now launching its own communication satellites by outsourcing the job to Europe’s Arianespace, Russia or US at huge costs.

A fully operational GSLV is also crucial to power India's Chandrayan- II slated for 2014. ISRO has to, then, put the GSLV mission on high priority, if the country is to be reckoned in the league of the top nations in space technology.

Unfortunately, right now, China and Japan have raced ahead of India in this technology, while the US and Russia are, of course, way forward, as Madhavan Nair, former ISRO Chairman, puts it.

“On the ground, the cryogenic engine (to power the GSLV) is ready. It has to be proved a couple of times in flight for using to carry higher payloads. The expertise, funds and people are available in the ISRO”, he points out.

The manned mission to moon, future satellite networks, telemedicine, tele-education and many communication and meteorology projects necessary for the country are getting delayed because of the lack of GSLV. Developing it needs a mastery of complex technologies, especially at the third ‘cryogenic’ upper and most important propelling stage of the rocket.

The ISRO actually initiated the GSLV development programme in the 1990s through a partnership with the erstwhile Soviet Union, which offered to provide both technology and ready to use cryogenic upper stages. However, the breakup of the Soviet Union and US pressure following India’s Pokhran-II nuclear test explosions ensured that the technology was not provided. All that the Russians eventually did was provide seven ready-to-use cryogenic engines under the deal.

Since 2001, eighth launches of the GSLV have been attempted. Of these, two have been successful, one partially successful and one aborted. The rest have failed, including the indigenous cryogenic engine versions. The GSLV was declared operational after a second development flight, which successfully placed GSAT-2 in 2003. In its first operational flight in September 2004, GSLV launched EDUSAT - India's first dedicated satellite for educational services. However, the second one GSlV-F02, in July 2006, did not succeed in placing the satellite INSAT-4C into orbit.

The indigenous efforts are being undertaken mainly at the ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre at Thiruvanthapuram and the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu, in collaboration with private sector firms such as MTAR Tenchnologies, Godrej & Boyce and Walchandnagar Industries. This has led to the development of a new version of cryogenic engine.

GSLV is a three stage vehicle, weighing 414 tonne at lift-off and 49 metre tall. The first stage comprises a solid booster with four liquid strap-ons. The second stage is the liquid engine and the third the crucial cryostage.

In April 2010, the maiden flight of GSLV D3 ended up a disappointment as the engine failed to rev up after lift-off. The next attempt of GSLV D5 in August 2013 had to be aborted minutes before the launch as a fuel leak was observed. It was to place the 1,982 kg GSAT-14 satellite in GTO.

With a track record of three of its previous attempts being failures, the ISRO is now once again gearing up to flight test the GSLV Mk111 version in the middle of December. All eyes will be on this defining effort for the space agency. There is no dearth of funds, dedicated scientists and expertise in the ISRO. It needs to get its act together and put the programme in top gear from the slowdown it is experiencing, feel experts.

India-Russia-US collaboration

While the US has been cagey, if not hostile, to transfer of know-how for launch vehicles or overall development of rocketry in India, its approach to planetary exploits like Chandrayan and Mangalyaan has, interestingly, been very supportive. The presence of Nancy Powell, the US Ambassador to India in the Control Room at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on the launch of MOM, as well as the special ‘lucky peanuts’ message from the NASA, indicate a ‘growing friendship’ in this sphere.

The Indo-US space cooperation since 2008, beginning with Chandrayaan 1, when Isro flew two Nasa instruments, has indeed come a long way with the Mars mission. The NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are involved in tracking the Mars probe in its 300-day journey.

The ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan, has been quoted as saying that the current cooperation is heading towards development of satellites too. But will it also go to building launch vehicles? In the backdrop of diminishing collaboration with traditional partner Russia as exemplified in Chandrayan 2, how far will the Americans go in providing critical technology and participate in joint ventures will be interesting to watch.

While exotic space odysseys definitely helps lift the spirit of the nation and satisfies scientific appetite, the real strength of a country to emerge as a space power on `terra firma’ depends on building capabilities to launch heavier satellites into orbit. Here lies the big money and technology to propel space probes farther into unknown frontiers and send human beings to planets and explore for life in hundreds of earth like bodies that are being discovered.

The ISRO needs to train its guns in this direction now.

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