All at once, India’s government has approved plans to develop a new reusable rocket, the centerpiece of an Indian space station, and robotic sample return mission to the Moon, and a science probe to explore Venus.
India’s union cabinet also approved $1 billion for the development of the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), a heavy-lift rocket with a reusable first stage booster that ISRO wants operational by around 2033.
The NGLV, also known as the Soorya launcher, is a three-stage design capable of delivering payloads up to 30 metric tons (66,000 pounds) into a 500-kilometer (310-mile) orbit. The rocket’s payload capacity will be somewhat less when the first stage reserves propellant for recovery. It will come in two configurations, one with a core liquid-fueled launch vehicle, and another version augmented by two strap-on solid rocket boosters. The next-generation rocket will outclass the LVM3, India’s heaviest rocket flying today.
The rocket’s first stage will be powered by nine engines, each generating a quarter-million pounds of thrust at full power. These engines will consume methane and liquid oxygen as propellants and will be capable of throttling up and down, allowing the booster stage to return to Earth after propelling payloads toward space. The Soorya rocket’s first stage will have landing legs to allow it to return for vertical landings on an offshore barge, or back at the launch site, similar to the way SpaceX recovers its Falcon 9 boosters.
Another Falcon 9 clone enters the planning stages. Always nice to see more reusable launch vehicles.