---
title: "PSLV-XL Configuration: ISRO's Heavy Variant | Model Diplomat"
description: "The PSLV-XL is ISRO's strap-on-boosted PSLV variant with six 12-tonne solid motors, used for Chandrayaan-1 and Mangalyaan. See how it differs from the PSLV-G."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/pslv-xl-configuration"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The PSLV-XL is the strap-on-augmented variant of India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle that uses six extended solid boosters to carry heavier payloads.
- How does the PSLV-XL differ from the standard PSLV-G?
- Which major missions have flown on the PSLV-XL?
- Why does the PSLV-XL ignite its strap-on boosters in two groups?
- Is the PSLV-XL the same as the GSLV?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

The PSLV-XL is the strap-on-augmented variant of India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle that uses six extended solid boosters to carry heavier payloads.

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## Timeline

1. 20 September 1993

   Its maiden flight on failed, but the vehicle achieved operational status with PSLV-D2 on 15 October 1994.

2. 15 October 1994

   Its maiden flight on 20 September 1993 failed, but the vehicle achieved operational status with PSLV-D2 on .

3. 22 October 2008

   The configuration debuted operationally on carrying Chandrayaan-1, India's first lunar probe, and established the PSLV's reputation as a workhorse for both…

4. 23 April 2007

   The PSLV-CA (Core Alone) flies with no strap-ons at all, suited to lighter payloads of around 1,100 kg, and first flew on .

5. 5 November 2013

   After Chandrayaan-1, the configuration carried the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) on from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, India's first in…

6. 15 February 2017

   PSLV-C37, launched on , used the XL to deploy a record 104 satellites in a single flight, the bulk of them Planet Labs Dove imaging cubesats.

7. 2 September 2023

   The XL also placed the Astrosat space observatory in orbit in 2015 and has flown numerous IRNSS/NavIC navigation satellites and the Aditya-L1 solar mission,…

8. 31 August 2017

   The PSLV family has flown over sixty times with only a small number of failures, including the PSLV-C39 mission of , when the payload fairing failed to separ…

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Example

On 5 November 2013 ISRO used a PSLV-XL (mission PSLV-C25) from Sriharikota to launch the Mars Orbiter Mission, which reached Martian orbit on 24 September 2014.

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