New Delhi: India has inched one step closer to expanding its space infrastructure to support its Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) programme and future human spaceflight missions. With the Union Cabinet approving the establishment of a third launch pad, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will now be able to improve its launch capabilities in line with upcoming technological advancements.
The new launch pad will be built at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota in around four years. A budget of Rs 3,984.86 crore will be set aside for the launch pad and the associated facilities.
In a statement issued Thursday, the government said that through the third launch pad, ISRO aims to establish launch infrastructure for NGLV. It will also act as a standby launch pad to support the First Launch Pad (FLP), the primary Sriharikota spaceport.
“This will also enhance the launch capacity for future Indian human spaceflight missions. The project is of national importance,” the Cabinet statement said.
Features the new launch pad will have
Senior officials from the Department of Space told ThePrint that ISRO’s third launch pad will be designed to have a configuration that is not only “universal and adaptable” to support NGLV but also Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3), for semi-cryogenic stages as well as scaled-up configurations.
The launch pad is being planned in partnership with private players.
“Now that space operations have been privatised, we will be using ISRO’s experience in setting up launch pad facilities, but this infrastructure will be shared between government and private entities,” a senior ISRO scientist, who wished not to be named, told ThePrint.
Officials also said that the new launch pad will be equipped with facilities such as the jet deflector, which is like a blast fence or a safety device that redirects the high-energy exhaust from a jet engine to prevent damage and injury; launch tower, a structure that supports a spacecraft or rocket during its launch; and lightning suppression systems, a combination of systems like towers, wires, and grounding points that divert lightning away from the launch pad and rocket.
It will also have propellant storage and servicing facilities, with range systems and checkout interfaces, instrumentation, and control and electronic support facilities.
This will be located with the Second Launch Pad (SLP) in Sriharikota to maximally utilise the existing infrastructure in the spaceport.
Existing infrastructure and future plans
Currently, the Indian space transportation systems rely on two launch pads—the FLP and SLP—both located in Sriharikota.
ISRO set up the first launch pad nearly 30 years ago for the launch of its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLVs). Over the years, it has remained the primary launch facility for launching PSLVs and Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLVs).
The SLP, which has also been operational for nearly two decades, was set up primarily for launching Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicles (GSLVs) and LVM3. It also serves as a standby for PSLV launches.
The SLP has seen the launch of some of India’s big-ticket missions such as Chandrayaan-3, and has also enabled some critical commercial missions over the last few years.
India’s first human spaceflight, Gaganyaan, is also set to take flight from here.
“The expanded vision of the Indian Space Programme, including the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) by 2035 and an Indian crewed lunar landing by 2040, will require a new generation of heavier launch vehicles with new propulsion systems, which cannot be met by the existing launch pads,” ISRO said in a statement.
The space agency added that establishing a third launch pad will cater to a heavier class of NGLVs and act as a standby for the second launch pad to meet the “evolving space transportation requirements for another 25-30 years”.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)