ISRO has many rockets but too few satellites to launch

Context: As per the Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the space agency’s launch vehicle capability was three-times the demand. In other words, there is less demand for space launch vehicles in the domestic Indian market.

ISRO’s launch vehicles

• India currently has four launch vehicles:
  • Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) 
  • Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) 
  • Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) 
  • Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3) 
• These rockets can launch satellites weighing up to four tonnes to the geosynchronous orbit. India relies on foreign launch vehicles, like Europe’s Ariane V and SpaceX’s Falcon 9, when a satellite weighs more than four tonnes.
• ISRO also needs launch vehicles for space missions like Chandrayaan 3 and Aditya L1.
• Applications: The satellites have applications in communications, remote sensing, positioning, navigation and timing (PNT), meteorology, disaster management, space-based internet, scientific missions, and experimental missions. 

Supply-driven vs Demand-driven model:

• The Indian space programme used to follow a supply-driven model: ISRO would build and launch satellites and then look for customers who needed the services provided by the satellites. 
• After the space sector reforms in 2019-2020, ISRO changed this to a demand-driven model. Here, a satellite needs to be built and launched only if there is already demand for it. 

Present challenges: 

• Lack of demand:
  • Lack of demand from consumers.
  • Lack of demand is also because of the fact that:
    • Due to technological advancement, the mission life of satellites has become longer. This also reduces the frequency of launch and demand for launch vehicles for replacing the old/defunct satellites. 
    • Launch vehicles are improving. In a single launch, the PSLV can deliver multiple satellites in multiple orbits. 

• Launch capability limitations: India’s launch vehicles are not powerful enough to undertake certain missions, like Chandrayaan 4. 
• China used its Long March 5 launch vehicle to launch its Chang’e 4 and Chang’e 5 missions in a single launch. 
• India’s LVM-3 (most powerful launch vehicle) has less than one-third of Long March 5’s capability (28%) and will need two LVM-3 launches to launch all the components of Chandrayaan 4. 
• Interplay between the government vs Private sector:
  • Government's Vision: Indian government wants the private sector to:
    • Creating demand among customers.
    • Building and launching satellites.
    • Providing launch services to customers both in India and internationally to generate revenue.
    • Upskilling workers and providing jobs.
  • Private-sector’s concern: Private companies prefer that the government does not compete with them in the launch business. Instead, they want the government to:
    • Be their customer.
    • Provide rule of law and reliable regulations.

Way Forward: 

• Educating customers: 
  • The customer of the services provided by the satellite needs to be educated about the need for the service. The customer will then create a demand for a service that will need a satellite to be launched. 
    • E.g., There needs to be a demand for space-based internet in a country already filled with affordable fibre and mobile-based internet services, so a company will launch a constellation of satellites into orbit to provide that service. 
  • The customers include companies, government institutions, defence enterprises, and ordinary people including farmers, bankers, etc. 

• Upgrading existing launch vehicles: 
  • ISRO plans to upgrade the LVM-3 with a semi-cryogenic engine to boost its payload capacity to six tonnes to the geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). 
  • Further, ISRO should speed its Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) project, a.k.a. Project Soorya which aims to carry 10 tonnes to GTO. 

• More autonomy to Private-sector:
  • Government is already moving towards commercialisation of the space-sector. So, in this spirit, ISRO should phase out of the launch vehicle business, leaving it entirely to the private sector. This is akin to the U.S. model, where government agencies contract private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin for launches.
  • This will help the private sector in revenue generation, focus on technological innovation and invest in creating demand among customers, whereas would free ISRO time and resources to invest in space research and development.