Indian Launch Options: PSLV, SSLV, LVM3, Skyroot Vikram-1 and Agnikul Agnibaan

India offers satellite operators four government-developed rockets and a growing number of private ones. The state rockets PSLV, GSLV, LVM3 and SSLV are sold commercially by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO. Since July 2026 the private company Skyroot Aerospace has also reached orbit with Vikram-1, and Agnikul Cosmos plans its first orbital flights with Agnibaan for 2027. All of them launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota.

This guide summarises what each rocket can carry, how reliable the recent record is and how you book a launch from India. Figures come from ISRO, NSIL and the companies themselves.

How Indian launch services are organised

ISRO develops the government rockets and operates the launch site at Sriharikota.
NSIL markets the ISRO rockets to customers and offers both rideshare and dedicated missions with in-house separation systems and adaptors.
IN-SPACe is the regulator and promotion agency for space activities by non-governmental companies. According to ISRO, it provided the technical consultancy, mission readiness reviews and launch clearances for Skyroot's first orbital flight.

NSIL states that PSLV has launched customer satellites commercially since 1999 and that by June 2019 it had carried 319 customer satellites from 33 countries.

PSLV: the workhorse for SSO

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle is a four-stage rocket that alternates solid and liquid stages. It flies in several versions with zero, two, four or six strap-on boosters (CA, DL, QL and XL).

Payload: up to 1,750 kg to a 600 km sun-synchronous polar orbit and 1,425 kg to sub-GTO.
Size: 44 m tall, 2.8 m diameter, 320 t lift-off mass in the XL version.
Record: PSLV launched Chandrayaan-1, the Mars Orbiter Mission and Aditya-L1 and set a record in 2017 with 104 satellites on one flight.

Current status: the PSLV-C62 mission in January 2026, a dedicated NSIL mission for the EOS-N1 satellite with 15 co-passenger satellites, encountered an anomaly at the end of the third stage. In February 2026 ISRO stated that a national expert committee was reviewing the cause. If you plan a PSLV rideshare, ask NSIL for the current return-to-flight schedule. Profile: PSLV.

GSLV Mk II: medium lift to GTO

GSLV is a three-stage rocket with a cryogenic upper stage and four liquid strap-ons.

Payload: 2,250 kg to GTO and 6,000 kg to LEO.
Fairing: 3.4 m metallic or 4 m ogive composite.
Recent flight: GSLV-F17, the 19th GSLV flight, placed the EOS-05 Earth observation satellite in a sub-GTO in August 2026.

ISRO names INSAT class communication satellites as the primary GSLV payloads. Profile: GSLV Mk II.

LVM3: India's heavy launcher

LVM3 (formerly GSLV Mk III) has two S200 solid boosters, a liquid core stage and a cryogenic upper stage.

Payload: 4,000 kg to GTO and 8,000 kg to a 600 km LEO, according to ISRO's vehicle page.
Size: 43.5 m tall, 640 t lift-off mass, 5 m payload fairing.
Commercial record: two OneWeb missions with 72 satellites in total and, in December 2025, the LVM3-M6 mission that placed AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird Block-2 satellite in its intended low Earth orbit. ISRO called it the heaviest payload launched by LVM3 from Indian soil.

That makes LVM3 the Indian choice for the heaviest payloads. Profile: LVM3.

SSLV: small launcher on demand

The Small Satellite Launch Vehicle is a three-stage all-solid rocket with a velocity trimming module for precise orbit insertion. NSIL gives its capacity as up to 500 kg to a 500 km circular orbit.

Industrial production: in September 2025 NSIL, ISRO, IN-SPACe and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) signed an agreement that transfers SSLV technology to HAL.
New launch site: a dedicated SSLV launch complex at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu is under construction for polar launches.
Upgrade: in August 2026 ISRO tested an improved first stage that it expects to add about 100 kg of capacity to LEO.

Profile: SSLV.

Skyroot Aerospace: Vikram-1

On 18 July 2026 Vikram-1 lifted off from Sriharikota. ISRO called it the first orbital launch by a private Indian company from Indian soil. Two satellites, SCOPE and Grahaa, were placed in low Earth orbit, and further payloads stayed on the upper stage for in-orbit experiments.

Vehicle: four stages, three solid and one liquid, with an all-carbon composite structure.
Payload: up to 350 kg to LEO and 260 kg to SSO, for dedicated and rideshare missions.
Next step: Vikram-II with a cryogenic upper stage, up to 900 kg to LEO and 600 kg to SSO, planned for 2027.
Integration partner: in October 2025 Skyroot and Exolaunch signed a strategic partnership under which Exolaunch integrates and deploys customer satellites on Vikram rockets.

Profiles: Vikram-1 and Vikram-II. More on integrators in our comparison of launch brokers and rideshare integrators.

Agnikul Cosmos: Agnibaan

Agnikul builds Agnibaan, a small launcher powered by single-piece 3D-printed semi-cryogenic engines, and operates India's first private launch pad inside SDSC. Its suborbital demonstrator flew on 30 May 2024. On its mission page Agnikul lists two orbital launch windows: Q1 2027 with up to 100 kg to LEO and Q2 2027 with up to 300 kg to LEO, both from Agnikul Launchpad-01. The company advertises dedicated launches sized to the payload. Profile: Agnibaan.

Payload capacity at a glance

Agnibaan: up to 300 kg to LEO (planned for Q2 2027).
Vikram-1: 350 kg to LEO, 260 kg to SSO.
SSLV: 500 kg to a 500 km orbit.
Vikram-II: 900 kg to LEO, 600 kg to SSO (planned for 2027).
PSLV: 1,750 kg to 600 km SSO, 1,425 kg to sub-GTO.
GSLV Mk II: 2,250 kg to GTO, 6,000 kg to LEO.
LVM3: 4,000 kg to GTO, 8,000 kg to LEO.

Neither NSIL nor the private companies publish prices. Our overview of launch vehicles by payload capacity puts these figures next to rockets from other countries.

How to book a launch from India

Government rockets: contact NSIL through its launch services page, which includes a launch service requisition.
Private rockets: contact Skyroot or Agnikul directly, or go through an integrator such as Exolaunch for Vikram flights.
Comparison first: check the Indian options against rideshare offers elsewhere with our launch provider checklist, then send one request to several providers through the Carrier Space request form.

India is also building more capacity: in January 2025 the government approved a third launch pad at Sriharikota, to be completed within four years.

FAQ

Who sells ISRO launches to commercial customers?

NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO, markets PSLV, GSLV, LVM3 and SSLV for rideshare and dedicated missions.

Has a private Indian rocket reached orbit?

Yes. Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 reached orbit on its first flight on 18 July 2026 and placed two satellites in low Earth orbit.

Is PSLV flying in 2026?

PSLV-C62 suffered an anomaly in January 2026, and in February 2026 ISRO said an expert committee was reviewing the cause. Ask NSIL for the current schedule before you plan a PSLV slot.

How much can an Indian rocket carry to SSO?

From 260 kg on Vikram-1 up to 1,750 kg on PSLV to a 600 km sun-synchronous polar orbit. Heavier satellites go to LEO on GSLV or LVM3.

Where do Indian rockets launch from?

All current orbital launches take place at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. A second site for SSLV polar launches is being built at Kulasekarapattinam.

Sources

Cover image: Adam's Bridge, the chain of limestone shoals between India and Sri Lanka, photographed from the International Space Station on 21 September 2024 (iss071e700080). Credit: NASA.