ISRO is about to be lapped by a small rocket company. Rocket Lab, whose small Electron rocket had made it a leading smallsat launcher, has decided to make a much bigger rocket called Neutron, that will also be reusable.
https://www.rocketlabusa.com/rockets/neutron/
It was nearly a decade ago, before Rocket Lab began establishing itself in the smallsat launch market, that ISRO too decided to compete alongside it with its own small rocket called the SSLV (Small Satellite Launch Vehicle).
But while ISRO has continued to push back the date of SSLV's maiden flight, Rocket Lab has not remained idle, and has used the experience it has acquired from launching its small Electron rocket to now make a bold move in upgrading to a much bigger and reusable launch vehicle. This Neutron rocket, which is slated to start operating a few years from now, will not only outperform our own PSLV and GSLV rockets, but will be able to compete against SpaceX's own workhorse Falcon-9 launcher. And Rocket Lab's CEO Peter Beck has made a point of mentioning that Neutron will also be capable of human spaceflight missions.
Another smallsat launch hopeful, Relativity Space, has also decided to follow suit by announcing its own plans for a larger reusable rocket:
Perhaps it's due to the latest capital glut, as major economies flood the world with monetary stimulus in the wake of the COVID outbreak, that all these small space launch entrepreneurs are now emboldened into betting big on upgrading to bigger and more expensive launch vehicles. India's own small fledgling space companies should do the same, as global capital makes its way around the world. Western startups are showing they can be much more nimble and agile than govt-run outfits like ISRO, provided the market conditions are right, and it's now a good time for Indian startups to show they can be too, so they don't miss the boat.
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