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With an eye on sending an Indian on the Moon, the Union cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given permission to build a massive launch pad in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota. The Union cabinet today in a standalone decision cleared the construction of a third launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota. This will be the launch pad from where an Indian could be sent in a rocket to land on the Moon by 2040.
The spindle-shaped island of Sriharikota, some 100 km north of Chennai on the Bay of Bengal coast, already has two launch pads. The third launch pad will be ready in four years and will cost Rs 3,984 crore to build. It will accommodate India's 'monster rocket', the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV).
Sriharikota is also host to India's first private launch pad made by Agnikul Cosmos Pvt Ltd, from which a rocket named Agnibaan Sorted was launched on May 30, 2024 for a sub-orbital flight.
The NGLV stands nearly 90 metres - taller than the Qutab Minar - and will have three times the present payload capability with 1.5 times the cost compared to LVM3. It will have reusability, resulting in low-cost access to space and modular green propulsion systems.
The Centre has allocated Rs 8,239 crore to develop the NGLV, which will be completed in 96 months.
The goals of the Indian space programme need a new generation of human-rated launch vehicles with high payload capability and reusability. Hence, the development of the NGLV has been taken up to carry a maximum payload of 30 tonnes to low-Earth orbit with a reusable first stage.
India achieved self-reliance in space transportation systems to launch satellites up to 10 tonnes to low-Earth orbit and 4 tonnes to geo-synchronous transfer orbit through the currently operational launch vehicles.
Till date, Sriharikota has seen 99 significant launches and the next liftoff of the Geo-Synchronous Launch Vehicle Mark-2 will be the 100th launch of a new-generation navigation satellite.
"India's first launch pad is used for launching the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the newer second launch pad can launch both PSLV and Launch Vehicle Mark-3. The third launch pad when ready will launch NGLV and with some upgradation it can also be used to send an Indian to the Moon," said Dr V Narayanan, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The third land pad is designed to have a configuration that is universal and adaptable to support not only the NGLV, but also the LVM3 vehicles with semi-cryogenic stage as well as scaled-up configurations of NGLV.
It will be realised with a maximum industry participation by fully using ISRO's experience in establishing the earlier launch pads and maximally sharing the existing launch complex facilities.
As of today, the Indian Space Transportation Systems are completely reliant on two launch pads i.e. the first launch pad and the second one.
The first one was realised 30 years ago for the PSLV and continues to provide launch support for the PSLV and the SSLV. The second launch pad was established primarily for the GSLV and the LVM3, and also functions as a standby for PSLV.
The second launch pad has been operational for almost 20 years and has enhanced the launch capacity towards enabling some commercial missions of PSLV/LVM3 along with the national missions including the Chandrayaan-3 mission. The second one is now getting ready to launch the human-rated LVM3 for the Gaganyaan missions.
The expanded vision of the Indian space programme during the 'Amrit Kaal' including the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) by 2035 and an Indian-crewed lunar landing by 2040 need a new generation of heavier launch vehicles with new propulsion systems, which cannot be met by the existing launch pads.
The expeditious establishment of a third launch pad to cater to a heavier class of next-generation launch vehicles and as a stand by for the second launch pad is highly essential so as to meet the evolving space transportation requirements for another 25-30 years.
India is making a second launch port at Kulasekarapattinam, a coastal village in Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu. The facility is being constructed over 2,350 acres. This is being designed to launch small rockets such as the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) and smaller rockets made by India's private companies. PM Modi laid the foundation stone on February 28, 2024.