Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), as a national agency responsible for space activities under Government of India, has undertaken several developments in the field of satellite launch vehicles. Beginning with the development of modest sized launch vehicles such as SLV-3, it had accomplished development of bigger and complex launch vehicles such as Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). These vehicles not only proved to be cost effective but also reliable and flexible to meet a variety of needs for space access for a number of customers worldwide. The PSLV, in particular, was instrumental for innovative missions like Chandrayaan, the first lunar mission of India and it had launched successfully 16 foreign satellites including several micro and nano satellites from different countries. Thus it had contributed significantly to international cooperation. In the context of an ambitious plan to enhance launch capacity in India including plans for possible human space flight activities, this paper provides overview of the policies adopted with regard to launch vehicles including technology safeguards, safety, risk management, international cooperation, capacity enhancement and user services among other things. It also discusses the need at international level for a forum of dialogue among various operators and governments to further promote international commercial space launch services and to resolve various issues associated.
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