Why ISRO's GSLV Was Known As 'Naughty Boy', And How The Launch Vehicle Earned The Moniker 'Smarty Boy'

ISRO's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) was earlier known as "naughty boy", but now, after successfully placing INSAT-3DS into intended orbit, it has earned the sobriquet "smarty boy".

ISRO Naughty Boy: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark II (GSLV Mk II) successfully placed the INSAT-3DS satellite into intended orbit on February 17, 2024. The INSAT-3DS mission, also known as GSLV-F14, was GSLV's 16th flight, and its 10th successful mission. Out of 15 previous missions, four were failures, two partial failures, and nine successful. 

This means that GSLV had a failure rate of 40 per cent until its fifteenth mission.

Why GSLV was known as “naughty boy”

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has made 60 launches as of January 1, 2024, of which 57 have been successful and reached their planned orbits. This means that PSLV has a success rate of 95 per cent, and a failure rate of five per cent. 

Since GSLV did not have as good a track record as PSLV in terms of successful launches, a former ISRO chairman coined the sobriquet "naughty boy" to GSLV.

How GSLV earned the moniker “smarty boy”

Now that GSLV can boast of 10 successful flights, it has earned new monikers such as “mature boy”, “obedient boy”, “smarty boy”, and “natty boy”. 

ISRO Chairman S Somanath said that GSLV did not have a good nickname in the past, but recently, it has performed well, and placed satellites into intended orbits, according to a PTI report. 

Quoting INSAT-3DS Mission Director Tomy Joseph, the report said the naughty boy has matured as a very obedient and disciplined boy, and has become a robust vehicle for ISRO similar to PSLV. 

According to the report, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Director S Unnikrishnan Nair coined the terms "smarty" and "natty" for GSLV. He also said that GSLV has become as highly reliable as other rockets with a satisfactory success rate. 

U R Rao Satellite Centre Director M Sankaran described GSLV as a matured wine which delivered a textbook performance by placing INSAT-3DS into the intended orbit. 

GSLV’s mission timeline

GSLV's first mission, GSAT-1, launched on April 18, 2001, was a partial failure. The satellite was placed into an orbit lower than the planned orbit because the rocket did not have sufficient fuel. 

The rocket's second mission, GSAT-2, launched on May 8, 2003, was GSLV's first successful flight. The satellite was successfully placed into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).

GSLV's third mission, GSAT-3, launched on September 20, 2004, was successful. 

The rocket's fourth mission, INSAT-4C, launched on July 10, 2006, was a failure because one of the strap-on engines failed at lift-off, as a result of which both the launch vehicle and the satellite had to be destroyed over the Bay of Bengal. 

GSLV's fifth mission, INSAT-4CR, launched on September 2, 2007, was a partial failure because certain strap-on stages shut down prematurely. As a result, the satellite was placed in an orbit that had an inclination higher than expected. But through orbit correction manoeuvres, the satellite was placed in the intended orbit, and remained fully operational during its planned design life. Therefore, ISRO considers it a successful mission.

GSLV's sixth mission, GSAT-4, launched on April 15, 2010, was a failure because of an anomaly in the cryogenic upper stage. 

The rocket's seventh mission, GSAT-5P, launched on December 25, 2010, was also a failure. Ground stations had lost control over the liquid-fueled boosters, as a result of which the vehicle had to be destroyed. 

GSLV's eighth mission, GSAT-14, launched on January 5, 2014, was successful. 

The rocket's ninth mission, GSAT-6, launched on August 27, 2015, was also successful. 

GSLV's 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th missions, known as INSAT-3DR, GSAT-9, GSAT-6A, and GSAT-7A, respectively, were successful. They were launched on September 8, 2016, May 5, 2017, March 29, 2018, and December 19, 2018, respectively. 

The rocket's 14th mission, GISAT-1, launched on August 12, 2021, was a failure because there was a 50-millibar pressure drop in the liquid hydrogen tank of the cryogenic upper stage.

GSLV's 15th flight, NVS-01, launched on May 29, 2023, was successful. As part of this mission, also known as GSLV-F12, ISRO launched India's first second-generation satellite, known as NVS-01. It is a navigation satellite and a part of the Navigation witn Indian Constellation (NaVIC) services. The satellite weighs about 2,232 kilograms, and is equipped with an indigenous atomic clock.

Launch Vehicle Mark III (LVM3), previously known as Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III), is the successor to GSLV Mk II. LVM3, India’s largest and most powerful rocket, has launched seven missions, all of which were successful. Its most notable launch is the Chandrayaan-3 mission. 

More about GSLV Mark II

GSLV Mark II has three stages, and is 51.7 metres long. It has a lift-off mass of 420 tonnes. The first stage, called GS1, has a solid propellant motor called S139. This motor can carry up to 139 tonnes of propellant. 

The second stage, called GS2, can carry up to 40 tonnes of propellant. 

The third stage, GS3, is a cryogenic stage, and can carry liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen up to 15 tonnes.

Using GSLV, one can launch a variety of spacecraft which can perform a wide array of functions such as communications, Earth resource surveys, and navigation. 

GSLV-F14 was ISRO's 93rd mission, and the space agency's second mission this year.