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What is Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)?

by Team Goseeko

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle is known as PSLV. This technology is the most challenging space program for the Indian space program till now. It had a lift-off weight of 283 tonnes and a height of 44m. Basically the first stage of PSLV was the third largest solid booster in the world. Because it carried hydroxyl terminated poly-butadine (HTPB) propellant. The first stage of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) was augmented by six strap-on motors having HTPB producing 662kN thrust. The second stage carried a liquid propellant engine with Unsymmetrical Di-methyl Hydrazine (UDMH) as its fuel and Nitrogen tetroxide as oxidizer. Also a thrust of 725kN was generated by the Second stage.

The motor in stage three had 7.2 tonnes of HTPB based solid propellant which provided a thrust of 340kN. Moreover the fourth stage had a twin engine which carried 2 tonnes of liquid propellant Mono-methyl hydrazine and Nitrogen tetroxide. With each engine having a thrust of 7.4kN. PSLV consisted of a metallic bulbous heatshield with a diameter of 3.2m. The control systems used Secondary injection thrust vector control and reaction control system. These control systems were used in the first stage of PSLV. 

The engine gimbal and hot gas reaction control for second stage, henceforth third stage it used flex nozzle and reaction control system. Also the fourth stage it used an engine gimbal and reaction control system. The main on board instrumentation packages for telemetry, tracking and common include PCM/S band telemetry system, S-band range and range rate transponders and c-band transponders, besides a host of power and signal conditioning packages.

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