A rocket that only takes a team of 5–6 people and 72 hours to assemble. A rocket that costs not more than a fraction of those in use currently. A rocket that can enable a space launch from India every week. And a rocket designed exclusively for small and microsatellites, which account for more than 90% of all satellites being launched these days.
The SSLV, or Small Satellite Launch Vehicle, India's newest rocket, which sent two satellites into orbit on Sunday morning, is the subject of a lot of excitement for a reason. It is regarded as a game-changer that has the potential to significantly alter the Indian space sector.
And it's been coming for a while. The SSLV's launch, which was initially planned for 2018, has been delayed many times. The pandemic played a role, but ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) has also experienced delays.
The launch is the first step in a process that, in a few years, is expected to see the SSLV replace the PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle), which has completed more than 50 flights to date, as ISRO's most often used launch vehicle.
The era of small satellites
Small satellites, defined as anything weighing between 5 and 1,000 kg, have long been forced to make due with riding around in orbit on rockets that were built to lift other, larger satellites.
Previously, this larger, primary satellite, whose interests would take precedence, would determine the launch schedule. But with more and more businesses, government agencies, even universities, and laboratories beginning to send satellites — nearly all of them falling in this category of small satellites — to space, the constraints of a piggyback ride have started to hurt.
In fact, the need for space-based data, communication, surveillance, and commerce has grown significantly over the previous eight to ten years, driving up demand for the launch of small satellites. In the next ten years, tens of thousands of small satellites are predicted to be launched.
Therefore, satellite developers and operators do not have the luxury of waiting months to get a seat on a rocket or paying extremely high trip costs. Organizations are building constellations of satellites in space at an increasing rate. Hundreds of satellites are being assembled into a constellation through projects like SpaceX's Starlink or OneWeb.
As a result, there is an increasing need for specialized rockets that can launch frequently and provide affordable space travel. Because the majority of the demand comes from businesses that are launching satellites for commercial purposes, like ISRO, this is also a potential business opportunity.
A number of new players have started to provide launching services in the public and private sectors.
At least three private companies are currently working on constructing rockets that can launch small satellites into space in India, a country where the space industry is quickly becoming accessible to the private sector. ISRO also created the SSLV in order to meet this demand and grasp this business opportunity.
More launches
With its PSLV and GSLV (Geospatial Satellite Launch Vehicles) rockets, ISRO conducts 5–6 launches in a good year. Usually, it takes 70 to 80 days to manufacture these rockets.
The assembly involves dozens of workers, each of which costs tens of millions of dollars. Although a number of these also carry commercial satellites, the income is not enough to cover the expenses.
This is all supposed to change with the SSLV. The turnaround time for this rocket is meant to be short—generally less than three days. It can be built quickly and on demand for a much lower price than the current launch vehicles. One of the most sought-after locations in space for satellite placing is the lower earth orbit, where the SSLV would be able to carry spacecraft weighing up to 500 kg up to an altitude of 1,000 km.
But more importantly, it is likely to drastically increase ISRO’s launch rate.
