Bigger than skyscrapers: ISRO planning 40-storey rocket to launch 75-tonne satellite

New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning a 40-story-tall rocket capable of placing a 75-tonne satellite into low-Earth orbit, Chairman V. Narayanan said Tuesday.

“You know, what is the capacity of the rocket? The first launcher, (Dr. APJ) Abdul Kalam ji, which he built, was a 17-tonne lift-off mass, capable of placing 35 kg in low Earth orbit,” Narayanan said while addressing a convocation ceremony at Osmania University in Hyderabad.

“Today, we are conceiving a rocket to place 75,000 kg in low Earth orbit. The rocket is of a 40-storey building height,” he added.

Narayanan said ISRO has lined up projects such as the NAVIC (Navigation with India Constellation system) satellite and the N1 rocket. India will also place a 6,500 kg U.S. communication satellite into orbit using its rockets.

ISRO plans to launch the Technology Demonstration Satellite (TDS) and GSAT-7R, a military communication satellite designed for the Indian Navy to replace GSAT-7 (Rukmini), later this year.

From the current 55 satellites in orbit, the number is expected to nearly triple in three to four years, Narayanan said.

ISRO is also preparing for the launch of the Gaganyaan-1 test mission, likely in December.

Meanwhile, one of the “Gaganyatris,” Shubhanshu Shukla, recently returned to India after piloting the Axiom-4 mission. His experience will be crucial for the Gaganyaan human spaceflight program.

“This is just the first step in Bharat's journey of human spaceflight,” Shukla wrote on X.

On Monday, Shukla met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence in New Delhi. Modi later posted on X: “Had a great interaction with Shubhanshu Shukla. We discussed a wide range of subjects, including his experiences in space, progress in science and technology, as well as India's ambitious Gaganyaan mission. India is proud of his feat.”