India learns to master a cryogenic upper stage.
GSLV stands for Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle. This entry covers Mk I and Mk II; LVM3, formerly called GSLV Mk III, has a different architecture and its own entry.
The first flight takes place in 2001. The aim is to place heavier satellites into geostationary transfer orbit, a step toward the positions used for communications and weather monitoring.
Early vehicles use a Russian-supplied cryogenic stage. Developing an Indian stage presents a major challenge, with an important success on GSLV-D5 in January 2014.
Selected representative missions; crew names belong to the flight shown.
The first development flight carries the GSAT-1 communications satellite.
GSAT-14 launches successfully using the cryogenic stage developed in India.
Dates follow the days reported by the source agencies, generally in local time; the UTC day can differ. Crews belong to the selected missions, not every flight in the family.
GSLV tells the story of gradually mastering a complex technology important for autonomous access to space.
First flight or first test of the family, including unsuccessful or suborbital attempts.
