Prelims – Current events of national and international importance | Science and Technology
Why in News?
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman V Narayanan said recently that the space agency was in the process of building its heaviest rocket ever, and had named it Lunar Module Launch Vehicle (LMLV).
- Design - Improved version of the NGLV (Next Generation Launch Vehicle).
- Payload – It would be capable of carrying about 27 tonnes to the Moon and 80 tonnes to low Earth orbits, which are between 200 and 2,000 km from the planet’s surface.
- Development status - It would be ready by 2035.
- Purpose – It would be used for the lunar missions, including the first human mission to the Moon, planned by 2040.
- Stages - It will be a 3-stage rocket, with
- The first two stages using liquid propellent and
- The third stage using a cryogenic propellant.
ISRO’s Key Launch Vehicles
- LVM-3 – It carried Chandrayaan-3 to the Moon and since then has been human-rated for use in the Gaganyaan mission, India’s human spaceflight program.
- NGLV (Next Generation Launch Vehicle) – It is a heavy-lift rocket that was supposed to carry the modules for India’s space station, the Bharat Antariksh Station, or BAS.
India plans to set up a five-module Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) by 2035.
- Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) - It is to place satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) used for Chandrayaan-2 moon mission in 2019.
Reference
The Indian Express | Lunar Module Launch Vehicle (LMLV)
