PSLV Full Form

What is the Full Form of PSLV in English?

The full form of pslv in English is the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. It is India's first launch vehicle that has liquid stages. This third-generation launch vehicle is expandable. The Indian Space Research Organisation that is the ISRO developed and operates the PSLV. The main motive behind the creation of the PSLV is to enable the launch of Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS) into the Sun-Synchronous Orbit and small-sized satellites into the Geostationary Transfer Orbit

A Little History Lesson:

On 23rd September 1993, the PSLV took its first launch, but with a failure in its third stage. Again, in 1994, the PSLV took another launch and was successful. Throughout the years since 1994, the PSLV has had some successful and unsuccessful launches, but the most notable one came in November 2013.  The ISRO launched the Mars Orbiter Mission through the PSLV. It was notable as the Mars Orbiter Mission was India's first interplanetary mission.  

On 15th February 2017, the PSLV was used to launch 104 satellites into the polar orbit around earth. Throughout its existence, the PSLV has been used to launch around 209 foreign and 48 Indian satellites.

What are the Variants of PSLV?

ISRO has brought in a lot of variations in the PSLV so that it can conduct different missions. We can list them below:

• PSLV-G: This is a retired launcher that used 4 stages of liquid and solid propulsion systems alternatively and needed 9 tonnes of propellant loading. The capacity of this launcher was 1,678 kg to 622 km into a sun-synchronous orbit. 

• PSLV-CA: It came out on 23rd April 2007. This variety of PSLV has a capacity for a launch of 1,100 kg to 622 km into the Sun-Synchronous orbit.

• PSLV-XL: It uses 12 tonnes of propellant load. The PSLV-XL was first used to launch Chandrayaan 1. It has the launching capacity of 1,800 kg to Sun-Synchronous orbit

• PSLV-D: This, too, uses 12 tonnes of propellant load. The first use of this was made on 24th January 2019 flying PSLV-C44 

• PSLV-QL: This flew the PSLV-C45 for the first time on 1st April 2019. 

Another launcher, named PSLV-3S is in the concept version. It was designed to be of 175 tonnes having the launching capacity of 500 kg in 550 km into low Earth orbit.

Some Technicality:

Launching various satellites into Low Earth Orbit, PSLV has earned the name workhorse of ISRO". It has a capacity of launching 1,750 kg of a load to Sun-Synchronous Polar Orbits of 600 km altitude. It works in 4 stages:

• First sage, known as PS1 generates a thrust of 4800 kN

• Second stage or PS2. This stage has a thrust of 799 kN

• The third stage is PS3 that has a thrust of 240 kN

• The fourth stage is called the PS4. This stage has a thrust of 7.6 X 2 kN

Some Mention-Worthy Launches:

Some of the notable launches of the PSLV can be listed as:

• Chandrayaan-1, the first lunar launch of India 

• The interplanetary mission Mangalyaan i.e., the Mars Orbiter Mission  

• India's first space observatory, the Astrosat.