ISRO Plans Privatization of LVM3 Rocket Manufacturing
ISRO has organized a stakeholder conference to explore the possibility of engaging the private sector in the manufacturing of its most robust launch vehicle, the LVM3. Since its establishment on August 15, 1969, ISRO has consistently collaborated with the private industry. Delegating the manufacturing process to private entities will enable ISRO to efficiently address an increased demand for its services.
New Space India Limited (NSIL), the private arm of ISRO, collaborated with ISRO to organize a stakeholder conference aimed at manufacturing India's largest and most potent rocket, the Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3), through a highly successful private-public partnership (PPP) model. In this partnership, ISRO will jointly share the risks and investments and encourage the industry to produce an increased number of LVM3s over an extended period. The conference, which took place in Bengaluru on January 16, 2024, witnessed the participation of representatives from 30 companies, totaling over 70 attendees. ISRO has identified an unmet demand in the international launch services market.
LVM3 in its current configurations can ferry up to four tonnes to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) and eight tonnes to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The exercise is in alignment with the space reforms introduced by the Government of India in 2020. ISRO intends to empower private industries towards end-to-end manufacturing of the launch vehicles it has developed, with a pilot programme between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Larsen & Toubro forming a consortium that realized five Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLV). The move is designed to allow private partners to step up from being suppliers or vendors of subsystems to being system integrators.
To maintain a competitive edge in the rapidly growing market and secure a larger portion of commercial launches, ISRO must increase the frequency of its launches. This can only be achieved with an ample supply of rockets. A projection for the next decade indicates a significant demand for launching communication satellites to Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) and for satellite mega-constellations to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). To facilitate potential partnerships with private industries in India for the production of the Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3), ISRO has enlisted the assistance of IIFCL Projects Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Indian Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL), a Government of India enterprise.
