Third launch pad to be built in Sriharikota, India’s big ‘bang’ amid planning to send man to the moon

New Delhi: Amid construction of the space station, manned ‘Gaganyaan’ mission and plans to send astronauts to the Moon, the government on Thursday approved setting up of a third launch pad in Sriharikota to send heavy spacecraft into orbit. As India eyes a bigger share in the global space economy, the third launch pad to be built at the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota will be able to launch spacecraft weighing 30,000 tonnes into low Earth orbit, compared to the current capacity of 8,000 tonnes. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday approved setting up the third launch pad at a cost of Rs 3,985 crore. Approved, which is targeted to be established within a period of four years. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is also developing the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), which will have an altitude of 91 metres. It will be taller than the 72 meter high Qutub Minar.

The launch pad will be built with maximum industry participation, making full use of ISRO’s experience in setting up previous launch pads and sharing the existing launch complex facilities to the maximum. The third launch pad is targeted to be established within a period of four years, the statement said. This project will boost the Indian space ecosystem by strengthening the national capacity to undertake high launch frequencies and human spaceflight and space exploration missions. To date, Indian space transportation systems are completely dependent on the first and second launch pads.

What is the specialty of the first launch pad?

The first launch pad was built 30 years ago for PSLV missions and also provides launch support for the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV). The second launch pad was established primarily for GSLV and LVM3 and also serves as an alternative for PSLV. The second launch pad, which has been operational for 20 years, has increased launch capacity towards enabling national missions including the Chandrayaan-3 mission as well as some commercial missions of PSLV/LVM3.