Sunday, July 17 2005 14:38 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Thiruvananthapuram: President A P J Abdul Kalam would inaugurate the silver jubilee celebrations of the first successful launch of SLV-3 (Satellite Launch Vehicle-3) at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) Thiruvananthapuram on July 28.

It would be a journey down memory lane for Kalam, who was the project director for SLV at the centre where the launch vehicle was conceived, designed and developed in the seventies and launched from Sriharikota Range (SHAR) on July 18, 1980, VSSC director B N Suresh told reporters here today.

While the first SLV-3 carried 40 kg Rohini satellite which was injected into the low-earth orbit, the payload capability had now been multiplied 125 times and ISRO's (India Space Research Organisation) current GSLVs (Geo Satellite Launch Vehicle) could put about 5000 kg of payloads into the same orbit, he said.

The first satellite (Rohini Satellite RS-1), launched by SLV-3 remained in orbit for 371 days, he said. The SLV-3 was a four-stage vehicle 23 metre long and weighing 17 tonnes including 13 tonnes of solid propellants.

The success of SLV-3 was followed by Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicles (ASLV), Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Launch Vehicles (GSLV).

The President, who arrives here on July 27 evening, will interact with his erstwhile colleagues and former directors at the VSSC and join them for dinner.

The inaugural of the silver jubilee and a symposium by Astronautical Society of India on 'Launch Vehicles: Past, Present and Way Ahead' is scheduled to be held on July 28. Before the function, the President would attend the symbolic launch of RH-200 sounding rocket at the control centre.