SSLV Launch Complex (SLC) is the second spaceport of ISRO, located in Kulasekarapattinam, a coastal village in Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu, India.[1][2][3] The facility is being constructed over 9.5 square kilometres (3.7 sq mi). The construction at launch site began on 5 March 2025.[4]
In 2011, a requirement for a new launch facility other than the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) was expressed to meet future demands and as a redundancy for the existing facilities.[5] Following this, in 2013, Kulasekarapattinam was proposed as a potential site for this launch facility by parliamentarians from the state of Tamil Nadu, citing advantages such as location, weather and proximity to ISRO facilities like the ISRO Propulsion Complex and Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre.[6][7][8][9]
However, due to programmatic delays, the Third Launch Pad project was deprioritized[10][11] as requirements to establish a new launch facility were not being met and existing facilities were augmented instead.[12][13][14]
After the ISRO began pursuing the Small Satellite launch Vehicle (SSLV) project in 2017, the old proposal of Kulasekarapattinam launch site became relevant again. After considering another site on the western coast near the state of Gujarat, Kulasekarapattinam was eventually selected as the site for the SSLV Launch Complex.[15][16][17] A site survey began in May 2019 and around 2,500 acres of land were identified for acquisition.[18][19] The land acquisition process for the launch facility began in November 2019.[20][21]
On 28 February 2024, the foundation stone was laid for the construction of the new facility, with an area of 2,233 acres in the Padukkapathu, Pallakurichi, and Mathavankurichi villages in the Kulasekarapattinam and Sathankulam taluks of the Thoothukudi district. The state government of Tamil Nadu completed the land acquisition for project which will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 950 crore and aiming for readiness by 2026.[22][23][24]
To mark the occasion, ISRO launched a RH-200 Rohini Sounding Rocket from the launch complex at 13:40 (IST) on 28 February 2024. This was the first rocket launch from the spaceport. The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSCC) provided the rocket and the meteorological payload, while SDSC installed launch facilities including radars, launchers, and electronic systems.[25][26]
In January 2025, the new ISRO chairman V. Narayanan announced that the new facility will be ready for launch within two years.[27] The construction of the launch facilities were officially started from 5 March 2025.[4] ISRO aims to complete the project by December 2026. The construction work of SSLV Launch Pad is going on in full swing, with the foundation stone laid by ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan on 27 August 2025. It is estimated that this facility will cater 20 to 25 launches every year. ISRO plans to commision the launch pad by the end of 2026.[28][29]
ISRO has operated the SDSC in Sriharikota as its primary launch site since 1971.[30] Its location on the Bay of Bengal provides a good launch azimuth corridor and ensures safety through rockets launched over the ocean. However, the launch corridor is inefficient for smaller rockets carrying payloads to a polar orbit (circling the Earth above the poles), since the island nation of Sri Lanka is directly to the South of Sriharikota. To avoid the risk of flying over another country, payloads for polar orbits are launched towards the East and follow a curved path to the South to avoid Sri Lanka's landmass. This maneuver is known as a dogleg maneuver.
The dogleg maneuver utilizes significant amounts of fuel in smaller rockets. Small rockets, such as the SSLV, are specifically designed to efficiently launch smaller payloads. The additional fuel consumption for the curved trajectory compromises the rocket's cost and payload efficiency.[31] To avoid this problem, ISRO is developing the SSLV Launch Complex for launching payloads to polar orbits. Given its location, launches from Kulasekarapattinam can be launched directly South over the Indian Ocean without crossing any landmass for thousands of miles.[32][33]
This spaceport will provide launchpads and support facilities for ISRO missions carrying payloads into polar orbits.[33] Few of the main facilities of SLC are:[34]
SSLV Launch Complex- The Indian Launch Vehicle Programme has attained a level of maturity today to launch 4.5 t class of satellites to GTO through GSLV MkIII. To meet the current market demands of small satellite launches, ISRO is developing a new generation launch vehicle called Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) capable of injecting small satellites (up to 500 kg) into 500 km circular Low Earth Orbit. Existing launch pads at SDSC SHAR Viz., First Launch Pad (FLP) and Second Launch Pad (SLP) are lined up for meeting launch demands of PSLV, GSLV & GSLV Mk-III launches, thus realisation of exclusive launch pad for SSLV is inevitable. Proposed SSLV Launch Site will meet the demands of launching SSLV launch vehicle at shorter interval.
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