L&T, Godrej and HAL consortium on PSLVs

Larsen & Toubro, Godrej and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd are to form a consortium, which is being put together by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), to build Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLVs). The vehicles will launch small satellites and the first launch is being planned by 2020. A pact is to be signed by January 2018 for this initiative. India’s space agency, which has designed the rocket, has been building and launching satellites, including probes for the moon and Mars missions indigenously, but has considerable work ahead to meet the country’s requirement of building heavier rockets and reusable spacecraft that can carry bigger satellites and a capsule that will eventually put a man in space. Then there is a huge requirement for launch of smaller satellites, some as light as 1 kg, with a lifespan of two to three years. The PSLV, following its successful 104 satellite launch in February, has emerged as a preferred vehicle for small satellite launches globally.