Third Launchpad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre

Why in the NEWS? 

• The Union Cabinet approved the setting up of a third Launchpad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota a spindle-shaped island on the east coast of Andhra Pradesh.

Key Points: 

• This Launchpad will help ISRO prepare to use the heavier Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) in the future, which ISRO is currently developing.
• The Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) is India's only spaceport from where spacecraft and satellites are launched.

What will you read next in this topic?

1. About the new launch pad.
2. How was Sriharikota chosen as the launch site?
3. Why was Sriharikota chosen?
4. Who was Satish Dhawan?
5. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
6. Major functions and contributions of ISRO.

About the new launch pad:

• The third launch pad will be built to launch Next Generation Launch Vehicles (NGLVs) and heavy rockets.
• This launch pad will be essential for India's plans to set up a space station in 2035 and send humans to the Moon by 2040.
• The launch pad will include critical facilities such as vehicle assembly, satellite preparation and refuelling.
• There are two existing launch pads at Sriharikota:
• One for PSLV and SSLV.
• The other for GSLV and LVM3.
• The new launch pad will be built in four years at a cost of Rs 3,984.86 crore.
• This launch pad will serve as a backup to the second launch pad and can be used to launch heavy rockets.
• This launch pad will help ISRO launch more commercial and scientific missions.
• The third launch pad will be designed for NGLV and LVM3 vehicles with semi-cryogenic stages, ensuring maximum adaptability.
• The project will have extensive industry participation, and will leverage ISRO's experience.

How was Sriharikota chosen as the launch site?

• The search for the ideal site to launch India's future satellites began in the 1960s, when India decided to develop indigenous satellites and launch vehicles.
• The programme was led by Vikram Sarabhai, the founder of the Indian space programme, who directed his colleague EV Chitnis to look for a launch site.
• In March 1968, Chitnis approached Abid Hussain, Director of Industries of Andhra Pradesh, who helped him gather information and prepare maps of potential sites, including Sriharikota.
• In August 1968, Vikram Sarabhai surveyed Sriharikota. He flew in a Dakota aircraft and acquired about 40,000 acres of land in October 1968.

Why was Sriharikota chosen?

• Location on the east coast:
  • Sriharikota was chosen as the launch site because it is located on the east coast of India, which facilitates the launch of rockets in the east direction.
• Location close to the equator:
  • Sriharikota is close to the equator, which allows the rocket to get additional velocity by taking advantage of the Earth's rotation, thereby increasing the payload capacity.
• Benefits from Earth's rotation:
  • A launch site located close to the equator gives the rocket an additional velocity of about 450 m/s, which increases the launch vehicle's capacity.
• Ideal location for geostationary satellites:
  • Geostationary satellites need to be in the plane of the equator, so Sriharikota is an ideal launch site for such satellites.
• Uninhabited and close to the sea:
  • Sriharikota is located in an uninhabited area and is near the sea, ensuring the flight path of the rockets is over the sea, so that the dropped rocket hardware falls on the sea.

Who was Satish Dhawan?

• Satish Dhawan was born in Srinagar in 1920.
• He was an Indian rocket scientist and is renowned as the 'Father of Experimental Fluid Dynamics Research'.
• He was one of the leading researchers in the field of turbulence and boundary layers.
• In 1972, Satish Dhawan replaced Vikram Sarabhai as the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• Dhawan guided the Indian space programme towards extraordinary growth.
• Many important missions and systems were developed under his leadership, including INSAT (Telecommunication Satellite), IRS (Indian Remote Sensing Satellite), and PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle).
• Dhawan's efforts put India among the spacefaring nations and took the space programme to a new height.
• Satish Dhawan's contribution to Indian space research was invaluable and under his guidance India made a name for itself in the space sector.
• It was after his death in 2002 that the space centre in Sriharikota was renamed the Satish Dhawan Space Centre to honour his legacy.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is the national space agency of India, which runs the space program of the Indian government.
• It was formed on 15 August 1969 and is headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• Dr. V. Narayanan took over as Secretary, Department of Space, Chairman, Space Commission and Chairman, ISRO on 13 January 2025.
• The objective of ISRO is to develop space technology and use it in various fields of the country, such as science, communication, meteorology, geodesy, and national security.
• The first satellite of ISRO was Aryabhata.

First Launch Pad (FLP)

• Constructed: 1990s
• Location: Satish Dhawan Space Centre, 13.7330°N, 80.2350°E
• First Launch: 20 September 1993 (PSLV/IRS-P1)

Second Launch Pad (SLP)

• Constructed: 2005
• Location: Satish Dhawan Space Centre, 13.71990°N, 80.23040°E
• First Launch: 5 May 2005 (PSLV/CARTOSAT-1)

Major functions and contributions of ISRO:

• Satellite Launching:
  • ISRO has sent many types of satellites into space, such as communication satellites (INSAT), weather satellites (IRS), and navigation satellites (NavIC). Apart from this, ISRO has also launched international satellites.
  • ISRO's launch vehicles like PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) and GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) are famous all over the world.
• Lunar and Mars Missions:
  • Chandrayaan-1 (2008): It was India's first lunar mission, which detected signs of water on the surface of the moon.
  • Chandrayaan-2 (2019): This mission was an attempt to send a lander and rover near the south pole of the moon, however contact with the lander Vikram was lost.
  • Chandrayaan-3 was launched on July 14, 2023 at 2:35 pm from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. On August 23, 2023, Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on the south pole of the moon.
  • Mangalyaan (Mars Mission) (2013): This mission was India's first Mars mission, and India became the first Asian country to successfully send a satellite into Mars orbit.
• Modern Rocket Systems:
  • ISRO has developed launch vehicles like PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) and GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle), which are capable of sending satellites into space.
  • LVM3 (GSLV Mk III) is specially designed for heavy satellites and human missions.
• Commercial Missions:
  • ISRO also provides its PSLV and GSLV launch vehicles commercially for launching international satellites.
  • Through this, India has successfully launched satellites of many countries and has gained a major role in the international space market.
• National Security:
  • ISRO has launched many satellites for security purposes, which are important for communication, surveillance, and earth observation.
  • Apart from this, India monitors its border areas through IRS (Indian Remote Sensing) satellites.
• Future missions:
  • ISRO has growing ambitions, including missions such as the Human Space Mission (Gaganyaan) by 2030, and India's space station (by 2035).
  • ISRO is also expected to contribute to the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) and space tourism.