Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle
The GSLV or Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle was developed by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to launch INSAT-type satellites into geostationary orbit to make India less dependent on foreign rockets. The GSLV improved on the performance of the PSLV with the addition of liquid strap-on boosters and a cryogenic upper stage.
It is a three-stage launch vehicle with the first stage being solid-propelled, the second liquid-propelled and the final stage being cryogenically propelled. The solid first and liquid second stages are carried over from the PSLV. The GSLV used cryogenic upper stage supplied by Russia, having ordered 7 upper stages. India originally tried to buy the technology to build a cryogenic upper stage from Russia, but under pressure from the United States, that technology was not provided. Therefore, ISRO has been working on developing a cryogenic upper stage for the past eleven years.
A geostationary orbit (GEO) is a geosynchronous orbit directly above the Earth's equator (0ยบ latitude). From the ground, a geostationary object appears motionless in the sky and is therefore the orbit of most interest to operators of artificial satellites (including communication and television satellites). Due to the constant 0° latitude, satellite locations may differ by longitude only.
