ISRO Aims for New Launch Pad at Sriharikota in Four Years

The Indian Space Research Organisation is working towards developing a third launch pad at the Sriharikota spaceport and aims to commission it within the next four years, a senior scientist has said.

According to the scientist, ISRO is currently in the process of identifying suitable vendors for the new launchpad. The proposed facility is expected to strengthen India’s launch infrastructure as the space agency prepares for more demanding missions.

The Sriharikota launch complex, spread across an area of 175 square kilometres, is located around 135 kilometres east of Chennai. It has long served as ISRO’s primary spaceport for launching a wide range of satellites using different launch vehicles.

The facility operates under the Satish Dhawan Space Centre and has been central to India’s space programmes, including missions for Earth observation, communication and scientific research.

The move to add a third launch pad is linked to ISRO’s future plans of placing heavier satellites weighing over 12,000 to 14,000 kilograms into various orbits. Such missions will require bigger and more powerful launch vehicles, making expanded ground infrastructure essential.

The development was shared by Padmakumar ES, Director and Distinguished Scientist of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, highlighting the agency’s preparations for the next phase of India’s space ambitions.

ISRO's BlueBird Block-2: A Game Changer

Earlier, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched the BlueBird Block-2 communication satellite of the United States' AST Space Mobile from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

ISRO stated that the LVM3-M6/BlueBird Block-2 Mission is a dedicated commercial mission onboard the LVM3 launch vehicle, which will launch the BlueBird Block-2 communication satellite of AST SpaceMobile, USA.

Executed as a dedicated commercial mission for US-based AST SpaceMobile, this launch marks a historic milestone in satellite communications. Also, this mission marks the sixth operational flight of LVM3.

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