India’s Journey from PSLV to LVM3 Powers Historic Moon South-Pole Landing

India’s space program began with the PSLV, a four-stage vehicle that first flew in 1993 and soon became the nation’s workhorse for placing satellites into various Earth orbits. As mission goals expanded to larger communication satellites and deep-space probes, the medium-lift PSLV proved insufficient, prompting the development of the heavier Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3). LVM3 features two large solid boosters, a liquid-fuel core stage and a cryogenic upper stage, standing about 43.5 metres tall and weighing roughly 640 tonnes.

The rocket launched Chandrayaan-2 in 2019 and later lifted Chandrayaan-3, which successfully soft-landed near the Moon’s south pole, marking a historic achievement for India. This milestone demonstrates how incremental advances in launch technology have enabled increasingly ambitious lunar missions. Looking ahead, India plans even larger payloads, human spaceflight and further lunar exploration, requiring still more powerful launchers.