NEW DELHI: Isro’s second spaceport outside Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota, which is coming up at Kulasekarapattinam coastal town in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi district, will see its maiden launch of a small satellite launch vehicle (SSLV) or mini-PSLV within 24 months, space agency chairman V Narayanan said on Monday. The new spaceport will enhance India’s capabilities in space launch services.
“All facilities will be commissioned for launch in 24 months. The first launch will take place in two years. Don’t think it will be literally small in size. It will be a 500 kg satellite,” Narayanan said in Chennai after inaugurating a new research centre, ‘S Ramakrishnan Centre of Excellence for Research in Fluid and Thermal Science,’ at IIT-Madras.
In another big development, the Isro chairman on Sunday said the Centre has given approval for the ambitious Chandrayaan-5 mission as part of the country’s long-term goal of landing an Indian on the Moon by 2040. He highlighted the growing scope of India’s lunar exploration and the significance of Chandrayaan-5, which will feature a higher-capacity lander, essential for future missions, including potential human landings on the Moon.
He said Chandrayaan-4 will focus on landing and collecting samples from the Moon, while Chandrayaan-5, which received approval just days ago, will deploy a 350 kg rover. This mission is part of a collaboration between India and Japan.
During this year, Isro has planned a series of launches, including GSLV, a commercial satellite from the US, and unmanned test mission with humanoid as part of the Gaganyaan mission, Narayanan said.
PM Modi had remotely laid the foundation stone for Kulasekharapattinam spaceport on Feb 28, 2024. The selection of this TN spaceport offers strategic advantages, particularly in enhancing payload capability with its direct southward launch trajectory for small launch vehicles. The new spaceport will house 35 facilities, including a launchpad, rocket integration facilities, ground range and checkout facilities, and a mobile launch structure (MLS) with checkout computers. It will have the capacity to launch 24 satellites every year using a mobile launch structure.
Spread over 2,350 acres, the Kulasekharapatnam spaceport will help save fuel for small rocket launches as the port can launch rockets directly south over the Indian Ocean without requiring crossing landmasses.