ISRO's 100th Rocket Launch: A Milestone in India's Space Journey

India's space agency, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), is poised to achieve a significant milestone in its space exploration journey. On January 29, 2025, if everything goes as planned, ISRO will conduct its 100th rocket launch from its spaceport at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

The rocket set to mark this milestone is the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle F-15 (GSLV F-15), which will carry the Indian navigation satellite NVS-02 into space. This launch will not only signify the century of successful rocket launches for ISRO but will also demonstrate the country's prowess in cryogenic technology and space exploration.

A Long Road to Mastery

The GSLV F-15 rocket, while part of a proven family, has had a troubled history. Once dubbed the 'naughty boy' of ISRO, it has had a checkered past with six failures in its 16 launches, resulting in a failure rate of 37%. Despite this, the rocket has been crucial in advancing India's space capabilities, particularly in mastering cryogenic engines—a technology that India struggled to acquire due to geopolitical pressures but eventually developed on its own over two decades.

The Road to a Century: India’s Rocket Launches at Sriharikota

ISRO's spaceport at Sriharikota has been the site of all of India's major rocket launches since 1979, beginning with the Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV). Now, nearly 46 years later, the Indian space agency is ready to celebrate its 100th launch. The GSLV F-15 will be the 17th flight of India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle and the 11th flight with an indigenous cryogenic stage, a critical advancement for ISRO.

The NVS-02 satellite, set to be placed into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit, is part of India’s NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) system. This system provides highly accurate position and timing services, crucial for India’s strategic and civilian applications, and was developed in response to the denial of GPS data during the Kargil conflict in 1999.

ISRO's Confidence Moving Forward

Despite the rocky start with its navigation satellite programs, ISRO now stands confident in its abilities to achieve further milestones. The GSLV F-15's success would mark not just the 100th launch, but a reaffirmation of India’s growing dominance in space technology.