India to launch rockets to space from southern Tamil Nadu. Here's why

India will soon be among the elite league of nations that own and operate two or more spaceports - facilities from where rockets can be assembled and launched into space. So far, only the US, Russia, China, and Japan are known to operate two or more spaceports. Having two or more spaceports offers flexibility and the ability to perform a greater number of launches, thereby increasing commercial activity.

A spaceport is established by considering various factors - geographical location, weather conditions, and availability of vast tracts of uninhabited land, among others.

India established its first spaceport, Satish Dhawan Space Centre (initially known as Sriharikota Range), in the year 1971. Since then, this facility in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh has been India's only spaceport that allows launches into space.

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All iconic missions including the Chandrayaan series, Mangalyaan, Aditya-L1, and launches by startups have been carried out from here. At present, Sriharikota has two launchpads belonging to ISRO, Government of India. All operational Indian rockets can be launched from these two launchpads.

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In the year 2023, a private firm, Agnikul Cosmos inaugurated their launchpad at Sriharikota in the hope of launching their rockets from there.

In about two years, India will have an operational second spaceport, which is very close to the southern tip of India. On Wednesday morning, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the upcoming spaceport to the nation, via virtual mode, in Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu. The Bhumi Puja and groundbreaking ritual for this upcoming spaceport was performed at the Kulasekarapattinam launch site, which is spread across approximately 2,300 acres.

Why does India need a new spaceport? What's so special about Kulasekarapattinam?

Both Sriharikota and Kulasekarapattinam are situated on India's east coast. However, Kulasekarapattinam is about 700 kms south of Sriharikota and is very close to the southern tip of the Indian peninsula.

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Sriharikota is best suited for launching heavier rockets into equatorial orbits (orbits where the satellite circles on a path above the earth's equator). Rockets launched from anywhere on the east coast (provided it is closer to the equator), are aided by the velocity of the earth's West-East spin and get an additional boost.

However, when launching rockets towards polar orbits (orbits where the satellite circles above the earth's poles), the rockets that fly south from Sriharikota face the risk of flying over the Sri Lankan landmass. There are numerous risks of rockets flying over inhabited regions, given that rockets detach their used-up stages mid-flight.Rocketry is also a high-risk domain where mid-flight mishaps occur.

Therefore, all launches towards the south pole being performed from Sriharikota are done in a manner that the rocket takes a detour and avoids overflying Sri Lanka. Instead of flying directly and in a fuel-efficient manner, the rocket is made to take a diversion and spend more fuel.

This affects the performance and payload-carrying capacity of rockets. This effect is not felt much in the larger rockets, but it affects smaller rockets, such as India's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) and the ones being built by Indian startups.

Given the location of Kulasekarapattinam, just by the tip of the Indian peninsula, rockets can fly straight from the upcoming spaceport to the south pole, without having to overfly Srilanka. This way, the rockets fly in a fuel-efficient manner and can deliver maximum payloads to Polar orbits.

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Given that smaller rockets are easier to build and assemble, and can be launched quickly, it is important for India to have a dedicated spaceport for such smaller rockets. Notably, smaller rockets are also attractive to foreign and domestic customers who are looking to launch small satellites at low costs. Given the technological leaps, satellites are getting smaller and more efficient, therefore the demand for launching smaller satellites on smaller rockets is also growing at a global level. India hopes to make the most of this emerging opportunity with its fleet of small rockets (built by ISRO and startups).

To aid the industrial and space ecosystem in the region, the Tamil Nadu Government also announced the setting up of a Space Industrial and Propellant Park near Thoothukudi District. The facility is expected to be spread across 2,000 acres. Having such a facility near the new spaceport would ensure efficient logistics and supply chain management.