Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday announced the decision of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to withdraw the proposal to build a third launch pad at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The launch pad, officially known as the “Third Launch Pad” (TLP), will be established at a cost of Rs 3,984.9 crore.
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- The TLP project envisages the establishment of a launch infrastructure at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, for ISRO’s next-generation launch vehicles (NGLVs) and serves as a staging area for the launch of the Second Launch Pad at the facility, according to an official statement.
- The Third Launch Pad is planned to enhance the country’s future human spaceflight launch capabilities.
- The government aims to complete the setting up of the third launch pad within four years (48 months).
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“This project is important for the entire country,” said the Union Cabinet.
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The proposed launch pad will have a configuration as “universal and flexible” as possible, supporting not only NGLVs but also Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3) vehicles “with a semicryogenic stage and an elevated NGLV configuration”.
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It will be achieved through maximum industry participation, making full use of ISRO’s experience in developing pre-launch pads and extensive sharing of existing sophisticated launch facilities.
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The total cost of the project includes the establishment of the implementation site and associated facilities.
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The Cabinet said the launch pad project will improve the country’s ecosystem “by creating higher launch frequencies and national capacity to conduct human spaceflight and space exploration”.
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Currently, the country’s space transportation programs rely on two launch pads: the First Launch Pad (FLP) and the Second Launch Pad (SLP). While the first location provides support for PSL and SSL vehicles, the other serves as a stand-by for PSLVs. The Second Launch Pad is also preparing to launch the LVM3 crowd-sourced Gaganyaan mission.
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A third planned facility is set to support evolving space transportation needs for another 25-30 years.
With agency input