PSLV-XL on the launch pad
Medium
PSLV is India’s workhorse rocket. The XL version wears six strap-on boosters.
- PSLV has four stages that fire one after another.
- In 2017 one PSLV carried 104 satellites into space in a single launch.
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PSLV, GSLV, LVM3, SSLV and the rockets that came first.
PSLV lifts off!
Medium
Three, two, one… liftoff! The first stage and boosters give PSLV its mighty first push.
- Hot gas rushes down out of the nozzle, so the rocket goes up.
- The boosters drop away when their fuel runs out.
PSLV-CA, the Core Alone rocket
Easy
PSLV can fly with no boosters at all. That version is called Core Alone.
- PSLV comes in outfits with 0, 2, 4 or 6 boosters.
- Lighter satellites need less push, so fewer boosters.
GSLV and its four strap-ons
Medium
GSLV has four liquid-fuel strap-on boosters and a super-cold cryogenic top stage.
- GSLV lifts heavy satellites high above Earth.
- In 2025 a GSLV launched NISAR, a satellite built by India and the USA together.
LVM3, India’s most powerful rocket
Medium
LVM3 has two giant solid boosters and a cryogenic upper stage. It sent Chandrayaan-3 to the Moon.
- Its S200 boosters are among the biggest solid rocket boosters in the world.
- LVM3 used to be called GSLV Mk III.
LVM3 blasts off
Medium
Both S200 boosters roar together to lift LVM3 off the pad.
- The boosters burn for about two minutes, then fall away.
- The core stage has two Vikas engines side by side.
Human-rated LVM3 for Gaganyaan
Tricky
For astronauts, LVM3 carries the Gaganyaan crew module with an escape tower on top for safety.
- If anything goes wrong, the escape tower pulls the crew module away from the rocket.
- Gaganyaan astronauts are called gaganyatris.
SSLV, the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle
Easy
SSLV is a small, quick rocket for small satellites. It can be got ready in just a few days.
- SSLV has three solid-fuel stages and a small liquid-fuel stage on top.
- Its first successful flight carried a satellite called EOS-07.
Colour “SSLV, the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle” in the app
SLV-3, the very first launcher
Medium
In 1980 SLV-3 put the Rohini satellite into orbit. India became a country that could launch its own satellites.
- Dr A P J Abdul Kalam led the SLV-3 project.
- SLV-3 had four stages, all using solid fuel.
ASLV with two strap-ons
Medium
The Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle added two boosters to the SLV-3 design to lift more.
- ASLV flew in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
- Lessons from ASLV helped ISRO build PSLV.
Rohini sounding rocket
Easy
Sounding rockets fly straight up for a few minutes to study the air high above us, then fall back.
- ISRO still launches small Rohini rockets to study the sky.
- They are launched from Thumba, near Thiruvananthapuram.
Thumba 1963: rocket parts on a bicycle
Medium
India’s very first rocket launch was in 1963 at Thumba. Scientists carried rocket parts on bicycles!
- That first rocket was a Nike-Apache sounding rocket.
- Dr Vikram Sarabhai started India’s space programme from Thumba.
RLV Pushpak, the reusable spaceplane
Medium
RLV is a winged test vehicle. ISRO is learning to land a spacecraft on a runway, like an aeroplane, so it can fly again.
- Reusing a rocket makes going to space much cheaper.
- Pushpak made landing tests in 2023 and 2024.
India’s rocket family
Tricky
From small to big: SSLV, PSLV, GSLV and LVM3. Each one is built for a different job.
- Small rockets launch small satellites quickly.
- Big rockets carry heavy satellites, Moon missions and one day astronauts.
A rocket of the future
Easy
ISRO is designing a new, bigger rocket that can be used again and again. What colours would you give it?
- Future rockets may land back on Earth after a launch.
- Reusable rockets could help build India’s own space station.