India to Have Four Functional Launch Pads by 2029: ISRO Chairman
India plans to significantly expand its space operations by establishing four functional launch pads by 2029, ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan has announced.
Speaking at the convocation ceremony of a private university at Porur near Chennai, Narayanan said the plans include a dedicated 2,000-acre Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) complex at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi district and a third launch pad at Sriharikota. The expansion aims to meet the growing global demand for satellite launches.
The upcoming spaceport at Kulasekarapattinam will feature essential infrastructure, including integration buildings, launch pads, rail-track systems, telemetry facilities, tracking systems and command infrastructure.
Narayanan said ISRO plans to conduct the first uncrewed test flight of the Gaganyaan mission within the next two months, followed by two more uncrewed tests before the crewed mission.
The preliminary tests will assess the spacecraft’s environmental control and safety systems, crew escape mechanisms, and the conditions inside the crew module under varying pressure, temperature and humidity levels.
ISRO has conducted approximately 8,000 ground-based experiments for the mission. Meanwhile, the four astronaut-designates selected for Gaganyaan are undergoing specialised training.
The ISRO chairman also revealed plans for Chandrayaan-5, a collaborative lunar mission with Japan’s space agency. The mission is expected to feature a 350-kilogram rover designed to conduct scientific experiments on the lunar surface for 100 days.
Narayanan clarified that ISRO, India’s national space agency, would not be privatised.
He emphasised that partnerships with private companies are essential to meet the rapidly increasing domestic and international demand for thousands of satellites. Collaboration with the private sector is expected to strengthen India’s space capabilities and expand its satellite-launching capacity.
The planned infrastructure expansion, Gaganyaan mission preparations and international collaboration are expected to play important roles in advancing India’s space programme.
