Next Generation Launch Vehicle
NGLV, NGLV-H and NGLV-SH | |
| Function | Medium to Heavy-lift launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | ISRO |
| Country of origin | India |
| Size | |
| Height | 93 m (305 ft) |
| Width | 6.5 m (21 ft) |
| Mass | 600 t (590 long tons; 660 short tons) to 1,094 t (1,077 long tons; 1,206 short tons) |
| Booster stage – S200 Boosters (NGLV-H) | |
| Height | 25 m (82 ft) |
| Diameter | 3.2 m (10 ft) |
| Empty mass | 31,000 kg (68,000 lb) each |
| Gross mass | 236,000 kg (520,000 lb) each |
| Propellant mass | 205,000 kg (452,000 lb) each |
| Powered by | Solid S200 |
| Maximum thrust | 5,151 kN (525.3 tf) |
| Specific impulse | 274.5 seconds (2.692 km/s) (vacuum) |
| Burn time | 128 s |
| Propellant | HTPB / AP |
| First stage – LM470 Core (NGLV/NGLV-H) | |
| Diameter | 6.5 m (21 ft) |
| Propellant mass | 470 t (1,040,000 lb) |
| Powered by | 9 LME-110 |
| Propellant | LOX / CH4 |
| Second stage – LM120 (NGLV/NGLV-H) | |
| Diameter | 6.5 m (21 ft) |
| Propellant mass | 120 t (260,000 lb) |
| Powered by | 2 LME-110 |
| Propellant | LOX / CH4 |
| Third stage – C32 (NGLV/NGLV-H) | |
| Diameter | 6.5 m (21 ft) |
| Propellant mass | 32 t (71,000 lb) |
| Powered by | 1 CE-20 |
| Maximum thrust | 216 kN (22.0 tf) |
| Specific impulse | 443 seconds (4.34 km/s) |
| Propellant | LOX / LH2 |
| Stages | 3 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | |
| Mass | NGLV: 14 t (31,000 lb) (Reused) 20 t (44,000 lb) (Expended) NGLV-H: 30 t (66,000 lb) |
| Payload to GTO | |
| Mass | NGLV: 5 t (11,000 lb) (Reused) 9 t (20,000 lb) (Expended) NGLV-H: 12 t (26,000 lb) |
| Payload to TLI | |
| Mass | NGLV: 7 t (15,000 lb) NGLV-H: 10 t (22,000 lb) |
| Associated rockets | |
| Comparable | |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Under development |
| Launch sites | SDSC TLP |
| First flight | 2031 (planned) |
| Carries passengers or cargo | |
The Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) is a family of three-stage partially reusable medium to super heavy-lift launch vehicle, currently under development by ISRO. The family of these vehicles are designed to replace currently operational systems like the PSLV and GSLV. Previously referred to as Unified Launch Vehicle (ULV), the project is now being called as Project Soorya.
This family of three launchers were previously being designed for replacing the different core propulsion modules of PSLV, GSLV, and LVM3 respectively with a common semi-cryogenic engine and hence it was named as ULV. The initial proposals were planned to be expendable. But the new (Oct 2022) proposals under the name of NGLV suggests launchers having partial reusability.
S. Sivakumar is the program director for ISRO's Space Transportation System and the projector director for NGLV at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). The development of the NGLV is projected to be 8 years from December 2024.
In an interview, the former Chairman of ISRO S. Somanath stated that after the integration of the NGLV, all other launch vehicles will be retired, except the LVM3 and the SSLV.