Will work to launch 100 missions in next five years, says ISRO Chairman Narayanan

ISRO successfully launched its 100th GSLV rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Wednesday

New Delhi: Even as India on Wednesday aced a significant milestone with the 100th liftoff of the GSLV rocket, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said the national space agency will work to launch 100 missions in the next five years.

ISRO successfully launched its 100th GSLV rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Wednesday morning. The GSLV-F15 rocket lifted off at 6.23 am, carrying the NVS-02 navigation satellite into space, adding another triumph to the nation’s space exploration achievements. This was the 100th launch of the GSLV rocket from Sriharikota.

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The Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV) was the first big rocket to liftoff from Sriharikota on August 10, 1979.

“Today we made a historical achievement,” Narayanan said post-launch. “The 100th launch of ISRO has been successfully carried out with the hard work and teamwork of team ISRO,” he added.

While the 100th launch came in 46 long years, the Chairman said: “In the next five years ISRO will aim to launch 100 missions”. GSLV-F15 payload fairing had a metallic version with a diameter of 3.4 meters and it placed NVS-02 satellite in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. The NVS-02 is part of the second-generation satellites for the Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) system — India’s own navigation system. This is the 5th satellite of NVS-02. Currently, four of these satellites are operational. “We got next approval for three satellites also,” said ISRO Chairman.

In addition, ISRO has got approvals for a lot of projects — Chandrayan 3 and 4 for launch this year. Narayanan noted that “a lot of missions are lined up for this year”. He also mentioned about the new Kulasekarapattinam launch pad. Located in the coastal village of Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu, the spaceport is being built to launch small satellites, such as microsatellites and nanosatellites.

“Within two years all facilities will be done in Kulasekarapattinam launch pad. After that we will expect to launch all kinds of missions from there,” Narayanan said.

Meanwhile, lauding ISRO’s historical feat Union Minister Jitendra Singh in a post on social media platform X said the national space “once again made India proud”. “Congratulations @isro for achieving the landmark milestone of #100thLaunch from #Sriharikota. It’s a privilege to be associated with the Department of Space at the historic moment of this record feat,” Singh said.

“From a humble beginning by Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan and few others, it has been an amazing journey,” he added. The Minister stated that the space industry in the country has made a “quantum leap after PM Narendra Modi ‘unlocked’ the space sector and instilled the confidence that ‘sky is Not the limit’. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari called the achievement “a giant leap for India in space exploration”.

“This #100thlaunch from Sriharikota, the 17th flight of GSLV, and the 11th with an Indigenous Cryogenic Stage, strengthens India’s NavIC navigation system, showcasing ISRO’s legacy of innovation and excellence in space technology,” he added.