Lunar Module Launch Vehicle (LMLV)
Kartavya Desk Staff
Source: IE
Context: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced the development of its heaviest rocket ever — the Lunar Module Launch Vehicle (LMLV), expected to be ready by 2035.
About Lunar Module Launch Vehicle (LMLV)
What it is
• The LMLV is ISRO’s next-generation heavy-lift launch vehicle.
• It will be the most powerful rocket built by India, designed specifically for lunar and interplanetary missions.
Objective
• To enable crewed lunar missions by 2040.
• To carry larger payloads to the Moon and support deep space exploration.
• To enhance India’s self-reliance in human spaceflight technology.
Specifications
• Payload to Moon: ~27 tonnes.
• Payload to Low Earth Orbit (LEO): ~80 tonnes (200–2,000 km).
• Timeline: Planned readiness by 2035.
• Propulsion: Advanced cryogenic and semi-cryogenic engines expected.
Evolution of ISRO’s Launch Vehicles
• Sounding Rockets (1963)
• First Nike Apache sounding rocket launched from Thumba, Kerala.
• Used for atmospheric experiments, not capable of orbital flight.
• Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-3) – 1980
• India’s first indigenous rocket.
• Led by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, placed Rohini satellite in orbit.
• Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) – 1987-94
• Improved SLV with strap-on boosters.
• Limited success, carried payloads up to 150 kg.
• Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) – 1994 onwards
• India’s workhorse rocket, highly reliable.
• Payload: ~1,000–1,750 kg to LEO.
• Key missions: Chandrayaan-1 (2008), Mangalyaan (2013).
• Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)
• Introduced cryogenic engines after US denied transfer in 1990s.
• Payload to GTO: ~2,000–2,500 kg.
• Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM-3 / GSLV Mk-III) – 2017
• India’s heaviest operational rocket today.
• Payload: ~4,000 kg to GTO.
• Major missions: Chandrayaan-2 (2019), Chandrayaan-3 (2023).
• Lunar Module Launch Vehicle (LMLV) – 2035 (planned)
• Will surpass all previous rockets.
• Designed for human spaceflight to the Moon and beyond.