ISRO to commence construction of launchpad at second spaceport

The Indian Space agency ISRO is all set to commence construction of a rocket launchpad at the country's upcoming second spaceport, close to the southern tip of the country. On Wednesday (27th August), ISRO Chief Dr. V. Narayanan and top officials participated in the 'Bhoomi Puja', a pre-construction ritual, at the proposed launchpad site in Kulasekarapattinam, Tamil Nadu.

Currently, India's only spaceport is the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, located along the southeast coast of the country. The Kulasekarapattinam launch facility, which is expected to become operational in a few years, is about 650 kilometres south of the Sriharikota spaceport.

Speaking following the ceremony, ISRO Chief Dr. V. Narayanan said that the new spaceport, spread across 2,300 acres, is meant to launch the ISRO-developed Small Satellite Launch Vehicle(SSLV) and the spacefaring rockets being built by Indian startups. He added that the new spaceport could witness 20-25 launches per year. ISRO's SSLV has the stated capacity to launch 500 kg to orbits about 400 km above the Earth, while rockets being built by Indian startups are also in the sub-500kg category.

In March 2025, ISRO had announced that the Kulasekarapattinam site is ready for the commencement of the construction of the Upper Stage Assembly Facilities (UAF-I & UAF-II) for the preparation of the second and third stages of the 3-staged SSLV vehicle, along with a Launch Service Building (LSB).

Why does India need a second spaceport ?

While the existing spaceport at Sriharikota is ideal for launching heavier rockets towards the east(equatorial orbits), a major challenge crops up when launching ISRO's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle and similar rockets being built by startups.

When a rocket travels towards the South Pole from Sriharikota, the rocket would have to overfly the island nation of Sri Lanka. Given the immense risk of overflying a country, India's rockets are programmed to perform a turn manoeuvre to avoid the Lankan landmass. So, instead of flying in a straight line, the rocket follows a curved path and takes a turn.

To perform this turn manoeuvre, the rocket burns a considerable amount of fuel. While larger rockets can perform this manoeuvre without much impact on the rocket's payload carrying capacity, smaller rockets such as SSLV would lose a lot of fuel doing so.

Losing fuel for the turn manoeuvre would mean that the rocket's payload carrying capacity is reduced, thereby affecting its cost efficiency. Which is why India had been looking for a location from where the smaller rockets could be launched in a straight line, without the risk of overflying Lanka.

Situated in Tamil Nadu's southern region, Kulasekarapattinam's unique location helps SSLV-class rockets save on fuel and fly a straight approach towards the south pole. Given that smaller rockets are easier to build, assemble, and launch with less time in comparison to their larger counterparts, it is important for India to have a dedicated spaceport for such smaller rockets. The Tamil Nadu government is also working on establishing a Space park near ISRO's upcoming launch site, thereby enabling an ecosystem of Space-related industries in the region.