ISRO's workhorse 'PSLV' outsourced to HAL; contract worth Rs 824 crore for 5 PSLV rockets

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: PSLV, India's most reliable rocket for satellite launch, will now be built outside ISRO. Until now it was manufactured at VSSC, Thiruvananthapuram. The success rate of the PSLV, also known as the workhorse of ISRO, is 96 percent.

The contract was awarded to a consortium of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, a public sector undertaking based in Bangalore, and Larsen & Toubro, a private company. 824 crore is needed for the construction of five PSLV rockets. Prior to signing the MoU, Inspace Chairman Pawan Goenka arrived in Thiruvananthapuram yesterday. He had a discussion with VSSC Director Dr Unnikrishnan Nair.

HAL and L&T have been cooperating since the privatization of ISRO. The ISRO decided to outsource the construction and launch of rockets similar to NASA and to focus ISRO on research and development. ISRO will give priority to areas such as space stations and space missions such as Gaganyan.