Function Small launch vehicle Country of origin India Diameter 1 metre (3.3 ft) | Manufacturer ISRO Height 22 metres (72 ft) | |
Mass 17,000 kilograms (37,000 lb) | ||
The Satellite Launch Vehicle (Hindi: उपग्रह प्रक्षेपण यान), or SLV was a project started in the early 1970s by the Indian Space Research Organisation to develop the technology needed to launch satellites. The project was headed by APJ Abdul Kalam. SLV was intended to reach a height of 400 km and carry a payload of 40 kg.The first experimental flight of SLV-3, in August 1979, was a failure.
It was a four-stage rocket with all solid-propellant motors.
The first launch of the SLV took place in Sriharikota on 10 August 1979. The fourth and final launch of the SLV took place on 17 April 1983.
Launch History
All four SLV launches occurred from the SLV Launch Pad at the Sriharikota High Altitude Range.
A fifth flight of the SLV coming more than 33 years after its last flight will occur on May 23, 2016. A modified version of the launcher consisting of its first stage will loft the HEX-1 Reusable Launch Vehicle technology demonstrator on a 10-minute mission to 70 kilometers in altitude.