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The Orrery, No. 1

India Launch Access Stress Test

Assured access to orbit means being able to launch a necessary payload without depending on a foreign state’s permission or spare capacity. India has several rockets, but they share launch pads, sites and critical hardware. This tool shows which missions retain a domestic route when one of those elements is unavailable.

Every current orbital launch in this model still depends on Sriharikota.

Public data as of .

Live architecture

Rockets → pads → orbit

PSLV, GSLV Mk II, LVM3, SSLV and Vikram-1 are mapped to the First or Second Launch Pad at Sriharikota. PSLV is awaiting return to flight. Kulasekarapattinam is under construction.

India's current launch architecture Five current launch vehicles connect to the First and Second Launch Pads at Sriharikota. Kulasekarapattinam is under construction and is not counted as a current path. ROCKETS SRIHARIKOTA ORBIT PSLV GSLV Mk II LVM3 SSLV Vikram-1 First Launch Pad operational Second Launch Pad operational Kulasekarapattinam under construction · not counted
Read map notes

Every current pad is at Sriharikota. A site-wide disruption can therefore affect every modeled route.

PSLV readiness: mapped in the architecture, but not counted as usable while return to flight is pending.

Kulasekarapattinam is under construction and not counted as a current path. Vikas and S139 outages are counterfactual tests.

Live impact

Current picture

No simulated failure is active. The cards below show the public-data baseline.

Closed
0
Narrowed
0
Pending
0
Unresolved
0
Unchanged
0

No mission profiles are closed by a simulated failure.

2 · Payload possibilities

What can still launch?

Established Provider claim Pending or narrowed Closed

Exact published payload points—not estimated performance envelopes.

Checking Close to Earth Small payload in low orbit Exact reference 350 kg · LEO · conditions not published Provider capability claim Small payload in low orbit performance sources: [21][22] A compact satellite or technology demonstrator flying close to Earth. Illustrative context A provider-defined 350 kg LEO mission; altitude and inclination are not published. This is where a new sensor, radio or spacecraft bus can prove itself before the state builds something larger. Small payload in low orbit context sources: [20][22]
Checking 500 km planar low orbit Small payload to 500 km Exact reference 500 kg · LEO · 500 km Official published capability Small payload to 500 km performance sources: [13][14] An exact 500 kg reference payload to a 500 km planar low-Earth orbit. Illustrative context The published SSLV reference point, rather than a generic small-satellite estimate. This fixed point tests whether a small launcher can retain a precisely stated domestic route. Small payload to 500 km context sources: [13][14]
Checking Polar orbit Small Earth watcher Exact reference 260 kg · SSO · conditions not published Provider capability claim Small Earth watcher performance sources: [21] A small satellite that can see different parts of Earth as the planet turns beneath it. Illustrative context A provider-defined 260 kg SSO mission; altitude and inclination are not published. Several small spacecraft can revisit the same place often. Governments use that rhythm for maps, warnings and surveillance. Small Earth watcher context sources: [43][47]
Checking 500 km sun-synchronous orbit Small Earth watcher to 500 km Exact reference 300 kg · SSO · 500 km Official published capability Small Earth watcher to 500 km performance sources: [14] An exact 300 kg reference payload to a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit. Illustrative context The published SSLV polar reference point; applications such as imaging remain illustrative. A fixed polar point makes the small-launch comparison explicit without inventing an orbit envelope. Small Earth watcher to 500 km context sources: [14][47]
Checking Polar orbit Full-size Earth observer Exact reference 1,750 kg · SSPO · 600 km Official published capability Full-size Earth observer performance sources: [2][6] A larger camera or radar satellite built to watch the ground repeatedly. Illustrative context Sentinel-2 illustrates the use, but its actual mass and orbit do not equal this reference point. One launch can restore a major national source of mapping and environmental data. Full-size Earth observer context sources: [46][40]
Checking Polar orbit Large radar satellite Exact reference 2,392 kg · SSO · 743 km · 98.4° Demonstrated mission Large radar satellite performance sources: [9] A heavy Earth-observation spacecraft carrying a large, power-hungry instrument. Illustrative context NISAR tracks crops, water, ice, ecosystems, infrastructure and natural hazards. These spacecraft turn small changes on the ground into warnings and decisions. They are hard to replace quickly. Large radar satellite context sources: [9][44]
Checking On the way to high orbit Communications satellite Exact reference 2,250 kg · GTO · conditions not published Official published capability Communications satellite performance sources: [7] A communications or navigation satellite beginning its climb towards geostationary orbit. Illustrative context The GSLV Mk II was built around this class of Indian spacecraft. At geostationary altitude, one satellite can keep watching or serving the same part of Earth. Communications satellite context sources: [7][8]
Checking On the way to high orbit Heavy communications satellite Exact reference 4,000 kg · GTO · conditions not published Official published capability Heavy communications satellite performance sources: [10] A heavier broadband, television or strategic communications spacecraft. Illustrative context LVM3 reaches the four-tonne class. India's still-heavier GSAT-11 had to leave from French Guiana on Ariane 5. The largest communications satellites can carry far more capacity. Some remain beyond a domestic Indian launch. Heavy communications satellite context sources: [10][45]
Checking Low Earth orbit Constellation batch or station hardware Exact reference 8,000 kg · LEO · 600 km Official published capability Constellation batch or station hardware performance sources: [10] Many satellites at once, or one large piece of orbital infrastructure. Illustrative context LVM3's 36-satellite OneWeb flight illustrates batch launch; it is not the modeled 8,000 kg point. Heavy lift moves more hardware per launch. Lose it and small rockets cannot make up the mass one-for-one. Constellation batch or station hardware context sources: [42][40][41]

Under the instrument

The machinery, if you want it.

The experiment ends above. The definitions, limits, data and sources live here.

How I count a pathDefinitions and rules

A usable route needs a launch-ready rocket, an operational pad, its documented shared hardware and a published number for the exact reference profile. Architecture membership alone does not make a route available today.

Independent redundancy
Two usable paths remain without the same modelled geographic or hardware failure.
Correlated redundancy
More than one path remains. They share an island or a documented critical system.
Single path
One usable domestic path remains.
No domestic path
No current domestic path survives the failure.
Insufficient public data
The public performance numbers do not settle the question. I leave it open.

A path disappears when

  • the rocket or pad is unavailable;
  • the whole launch complex is unavailable;
  • a documented shared system is unavailable;
  • the rocket is awaiting return to flight;
  • the rocket or pad is not current; or
  • no published performance point establishes the mission.

Things I do not pretend to know

  • classified payloads or hidden supply chains;
  • factory output, backlog, cadence, price or pad turnaround;
  • the probability of failure or bad weather;
  • whether a government will approve a launch Authorization methodology source: [33];
  • performance between published points; or
  • what survives a war.

This model measures public, architectural access. It does not tell you whether a payload launches next Tuesday. Provider performance claims are labelled separately from demonstrated missions. It is not a score.

The rockets and padsWhat counts now, and what does not

Counted now

  • PSLVSources: [3][4][34][35]

    First Launch Pad · Second Launch Pad

    PSLV remains part of the current architecture, but its return to flight is pending corrective actions after the PSLV-C62 anomaly.

  • GSLV Mk IISources: [7][26]

    Second Launch Pad

  • LVM3Sources: [12][26][39]

    Second Launch Pad

  • SSLVSources: [16][17][3]

    First Launch Pad

  • Vikram-1Sources: [19][22][36][37]

    First Launch Pad

  • First Launch PadSources: [26][27]

    Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh

  • Second Launch PadSources: [26][27]

    Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh

Not counted yet

  • AgnibaanSources: [23][25]

    Developmental · not flight proven

  • Agnikul Launchpad-01Sources: [25][23][29]

    Suborbital Demonstrated · Orbital missions announced for Q1 and Q2 2027

  • Third Launch PadSources: [30][27]

    Planned · Targeted for the 2029–30 timeframe

  • SSLV Launch ComplexSources: [29][27][38][43]

    Under Construction · Commissioning targeted during FY 2026–27; first SSLV launches expected during 2027–28

Shared hardware I count

Vikas engine familySources: [32][2][7][10]

PSLV, GSLV Mk II and LVM3 use Vikas engines. The tool tests a counterfactual family-wide outage across all three; shared use does not prove a single real-world failure mechanism.

PSLV · GSLV Mk II · LVM3

S139 / PSLV-derived first-stage familySources: [2][7]

PSLV and GSLV Mk II use the S139 first-stage family. The tool tests a counterfactual family-wide outage across both vehicles and makes no claim about an unreported factory bottleneck or failure mechanism.

PSLV · GSLV Mk II

Similar-looking hardware does not count. A family-wide outage is a counterfactual stress test, not evidence of a known common failure mechanism.

Mission classes and performance9 mission classes · exact points kept underneath

The tool uses broad mission names. Each one still rests on a fixed published payload and orbit.

  1. Small payload in low orbit

    A compact satellite or technology demonstrator flying close to Earth.

  2. Small payload to 500 km

    An exact 500 kg reference payload to a 500 km planar low-Earth orbit.

  3. Small Earth watcher

    A small satellite that can see different parts of Earth as the planet turns beneath it.

  4. Small Earth watcher to 500 km

    An exact 300 kg reference payload to a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit.

  5. Full-size Earth observer

    A larger camera or radar satellite built to watch the ground repeatedly.

  6. Large radar satellite

    A heavy Earth-observation spacecraft carrying a large, power-hungry instrument.

  7. Communications satellite

    A communications or navigation satellite beginning its climb towards geostationary orbit.

  8. Heavy communications satellite

    A heavier broadband, television or strategic communications spacecraft.

  9. Constellation batch or station hardware

    Many satellites at once, or one large piece of orbital infrastructure.

Show the exact point behind each class
  1. Small payload in low orbitSources: [21][22]

    350 kg · LEO · provider capability claim

  2. Small payload to 500 kmSources: [13][14]

    500 kg · LEO · 500 km · official published capability

  3. Small Earth watcherSources: [21]

    260 kg · sun-synchronous orbit · provider capability claim

  4. Small Earth watcher to 500 kmSources: [14]

    300 kg · sun-synchronous orbit · 500 km · official published capability

  5. Full-size Earth observerSources: [2][6]

    1,750 kg · sun-synchronous polar orbit · 600 km · official published capability

  6. Large radar satelliteSources: [9]

    2,392 kg · sun-synchronous orbit · 743 km · 98.4° · demonstrated mission

  7. Communications satelliteSources: [7]

    2,250 kg · GTO · official published capability

  8. Heavy communications satelliteSources: [10]

    4,000 kg · GTO · official published capability

  9. Constellation batch or station hardwareSources: [10]

    8,000 kg · LEO · 600 km · official published capability

Show every vehicle benchmark in the dataset
  • PSLV — Published SSPO maximum Sources: [2][6]

    1,750 kg · sun-synchronous polar orbit · 600 km · official published capability

  • PSLV — Published sub-GTO maximum Sources: [2][6]

    1,425 kg · sub-GTO · official published capability

  • GSLV Mk II — Published GTO maximum Sources: [7]

    2,250 kg · GTO · official published capability

  • GSLV Mk II — Published generic LEO maximum Sources: [7]

    6,000 kg · LEO · official published capability

  • GSLV Mk II — NISAR demonstrated mission Sources: [9]

    2,392 kg · sun-synchronous orbit · 743 km · 98.4° · demonstrated mission

  • LVM3 — Published GTO maximum Sources: [10]

    4,000 kg · GTO · official published capability

  • LVM3 — Later official GTO capability claim Sources: [12]

    4,200 kg · GTO · official published capability

  • LVM3 — Published 600 km LEO maximum Sources: [10]

    8,000 kg · LEO · 600 km · official published capability

  • SSLV — Published 500 km planar LEO maximum Sources: [13][14]

    500 kg · LEO · 500 km · official published capability

  • SSLV — Published 500 km SSO maximum Sources: [14]

    300 kg · sun-synchronous orbit · 500 km · official published capability

  • Vikram-1 — Published generic LEO maximum Sources: [21][22]

    350 kg · LEO · provider capability claim

  • Vikram-1 — Published generic SSO maximum Sources: [21]

    260 kg · sun-synchronous orbit · provider capability claim

  • Vikram-1 — First orbital flight context Sources: [20][19]

    Payload not published · LEO · 450 km · demonstrated mission

  • Agnibaan — Announced Q1 2027 mission maximum Sources: [23]

    100 kg · LEO · announced capability

  • Agnibaan — Announced Q2 2027 mission maximum Sources: [23]

    300 kg · LEO · announced capability

The sources47 records in the evidence register

Official records establish the technical facts. AP, Space.com and The Indian Express provide independent checks on failures, flights and construction status.

  1. Indian Space Research Organisation. Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR

    Government · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Official description of Sriharikota's launch-base infrastructure and geographic concentration.

  2. Indian Space Research Organisation. Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)

    Government · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Technical configuration, S139 and Vikas use, and published SSPO and Sub-GTO performance.

  3. Department of Space / Press Information Bureau. Parliament Question: PSLV and SSLV Programmes

    Parliament · 1 April 2026 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    States that PSLV will return to flight after corrective actions and that SSLV has been handed to NSIL and industry.

  4. Indian Space Research Organisation. PSLV related Update

    Government · 25 February 2026 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Records the expert-committee review after the PSLV-C62 anomaly.

  5. Indian Space Research Organisation. PSLV-D2 Launch Successful

    Government · 15 October 1994 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Contemporary ISRO account of PSLV-D2 placing IRS-P2 in orbit.

  6. Indian Space Research Organisation. Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle — PSLV-C25 Mission Publication

    Government · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Published 1,750 kg SSPO and 1,425 kg 284 × 21,000 km Sub-GTO benchmark points.

  7. Indian Space Research Organisation. Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark II

    Government · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Operational status, GTO and LEO performance, S139 first stage, and Vikas-powered second stage.

  8. Indian Space Research Organisation. GSLV-D5 / GSAT-14

    Government · 5 January 2014 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    First successful flight of the present indigenous cryogenic upper-stage configuration.

  9. Indian Space Research Organisation. ISRO's GSLV-F16 will launch ISRO-NASA joint satellite, NISAR

    Government · 21 July 2025 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Published NISAR mass, altitude, inclination, and GSLV-F16 mission profile; ISRO later confirmed successful delivery.

  10. Indian Space Research Organisation. Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3)

    Government · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Published GTO and 600 km LEO performance and twin-Vikas L110 configuration.

  11. Indian Space Research Organisation. GSLV Mk III-D1 / GSAT-19 Mission

    Government · 5 June 2017 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    First successful orbital flight of the vehicle now called LVM3.

  12. Indian Space Research Organisation. LVM3-M6 / BlueBird Block-2 Mission

    Government · 19 December 2025 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Sixth operational flight and a later official 4,200 kg GTO capability claim.

  13. Indian Space Research Organisation. Small Satellite Launch Vehicle

    Government · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Published 500 km planar-orbit performance and vehicle configuration.

  14. NewSpace India Limited. Small Satellite Launch Vehicle Technical Brochure

    Government · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Published 500 km circular-orbit benchmark: 500 kg to LEO and 300 kg to SSO.

  15. Indian Space Research Organisation. Successful flight of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle

    Government · 10 February 2023 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    First successful orbital SSLV flight and FLP launch record.

  16. Indian Space Research Organisation. SSLV-D3 / EOS-08 Mission

    Government · 16 August 2024 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    States that the successful D3 mission completed development and enabled operational missions.

  17. Indian Space Research Organisation. Technology Transfer Agreement signed for Small Satellite Launch Vehicle

    Government · 11 September 2025 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Transfer to HAL and planned use of Sriharikota for inclined launches and Kulasekarapattinam for polar launches.

  18. Indian Space Research Organisation. ISRO tests an improved version of the first stage of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle

    Government · 12 August 2026 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Future enhancement only: estimates about 100 kg additional LEO performance on induction.

  19. Indian Space Research Organisation. First private orbital launch lifts off from Sriharikota

    Government · 18 July 2026 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Confirms Vikram-1 reached orbit on its first attempt and identifies the First Launch Pad.

  20. Press Information Bureau. Vikram-1: Charting India's Cosmic Future

    Government · 18 July 2026 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Preflight backgrounder with the 450 km mission altitude and generic 350 kg LEO capability claim.

  21. Skyroot Aerospace. Skyroot — On-Demand Space Launch Vehicles

    Company · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Current Vikram-1 claims of up to 350 kg to LEO and 260 kg to sun-synchronous orbit.

  22. Skyroot Aerospace. Vikram-1 Launch Services

    Company · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Current booking offer, manifest, and 350 kg generic LEO claim.

  23. Agnikul Cosmos. Mission — Upcoming Launch Schedule

    Company · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Schedules announced orbital missions from Agnikul Launchpad-01 in Q1 and Q2 2027.

  24. Agnikul Cosmos. Agnibaan, SOrTeD and Dhanush

    Company · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Product and mobile-pad description. Dynamic performance counters were ambiguous at access and are not used as exact v1 evidence.

  25. Press Information Bureau. Agnikul launches world's first rocket with fully 3D printed engine

    Government · 30 May 2024 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Establishes that SOrTeD was suborbital and launched from Dhanush; it is not orbital proof for Agnibaan.

  26. Indian Space Research Organisation. Launch Services

    Government · Accessed 27 August 2026

    FLP and SLP descriptions, coordinates, active status, and Sriharikota location.

  27. Department of Space / Press Information Bureau. Parliament Question: Development of Satellite Launch Facilities in India

    Parliament · 18 March 2026 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Current FLP/SLP compatibility, TLP target, and Kulasekarapattinam commissioning window.

  28. Indian Space Research Organisation. First private launchpad and mission control center established in ISRO campus

    Government · 28 November 2022 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Establishment of Agnikul's pad inside SDSC SHAR and its intended liquid-stage-controlled use.

  29. Department of Space / Indian Space Research Organisation. Annual Report 2025–26

    Government · 28 April 2026 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Kulasekarapattinam construction and orbital-pad status, plus private orbital-infrastructure progress.

  30. Cabinet / Press Information Bureau. Cabinet approves the establishment of Third Launch Pad

    Government · 16 January 2025 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Approved purpose and intended future vehicle classes; not evidence of current capacity.

  31. Indian Space Research Organisation. Commencement of construction of SSLV Launch Complex at Kulasekarapattinam

    Government · 7 March 2025 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Construction commencement, planned SSLV polar role, and completed SSLV development.

  32. Indian Space Research Organisation. Successful test of throttleable Vikas engine for 67% thrust level

    Government · 8 February 2023 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Explicitly identifies Vikas use on PSLV, GSLV and LVM3.

  33. Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre. Norms, Guidelines and Procedures for Authorization of Space Activities

    Regulator · 3 May 2024 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Methodology source only; per-mission authorization is not modeled as a shared subsystem.

  34. Associated Press. Indian space agency's satellite mission fails due to technical issue in launch vehicle

    Secondary · 18 May 2025 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Independent reporting on the PSLV-C61 failure and the third-stage pressure loss described by ISRO.

  35. Space.com. Indian PSLV rocket apparently fails for 2nd launch in a row

    Secondary · 12 January 2026 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Independent account of the PSLV-C62 anomaly and its place after the May 2025 failure.

  36. Space.com. The dawn of a new space era: Vikram-1 aces debut launch

    Secondary · 18 July 2026 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Independent reporting that Vikram-1 reached orbit from Sriharikota on its first orbital flight.

  37. The Indian Express. India's first private rocket Vikram-1 succeeds in maiden orbital launch

    Secondary · 19 July 2026 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Reports the successful flight, First Launch Pad departure and 450 km orbital insertion.

  38. The Indian Express. ISRO's spaceport at Kulasekarapattinam to be commissioned in 2026–2027

    Secondary · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Independent reporting on construction progress, the commissioning target and the planned SSLV role.

  39. Space.com. Indian rocket launches record-breaking BlueBird 6 smartphone satellite to orbit

    Secondary · 24 December 2025 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Independent reporting on LVM3-M6, its Sriharikota launch and successful LEO delivery.

  40. Jatan's Space. When ISRO loses a PSLV rocket, India loses a launchpad in the present and the future

    Secondary · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Jatan Mehta's documented account of Sriharikota pad compatibility, shared hardware and the missions attached to India's medium- and heavy-lift rockets.

  41. Jatan's Space. India and the dream of an orbital launch trifecta

    Secondary · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Context on launchpad concentration, dissimilar vehicle redundancy and the difference between small-lift launch counts and useful mass to orbit.

  42. The Times of India. As GSLV-Mk3/LVM3 goes commercial, work on semi-cryo gains pace

    Secondary · 31 October 2022 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Chethan Kumar's reporting on LVM3 performance, its OneWeb constellation launch and why heavy lift differs from small-satellite launch capacity.

  43. The Times of India. IN-SPACe moves to privatise operations of Rs 986 crore spaceport

    Secondary · 9 August 2026 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Chethan Kumar's reporting on Kulasekarapattinam's polar-launch purpose, operating model and construction status.

  44. NASA Science. NISAR Applications Overview

    Government · 2 September 2025 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Applications context for disaster response, water, agriculture and infrastructure monitoring.

  45. Indian Space Research Organisation. GSAT-11 Mission

    Government · 5 December 2018 · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Records GSAT-11's communications role, mass and launch on Ariane 5 from French Guiana.

  46. European Space Agency. Sentinel-2

    Government · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Global example of full-size polar Earth observation for land, agriculture, coasts and disaster mapping.

  47. Planet Labs. Satellite imagery for emergency management

    Company · Accessed 27 August 2026

    Global example of frequent small-satellite imagery used before, during and after disasters.