Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Kulasekarapattinam spaceport on February 28, 2024.
- Indian Space Research Organisation chairman S. Somanath said the construction of ISRO’s second satellite launch facility would be completed within two years to launch SSLVs, (Small Satellite Launch Vehicles).
- It will be used to inject small satellites into a predetermined orbit.
- The upcoming facility would have the capacity to launch 24 satellites per year.
Kulasekarapattinam facility benefits
- A rocket (with satellite) launched into space from ISRO’s Sriharikota facility in Andhra Pradesh, first heads east, and then turn south. Since Sri Lanka is located to the south of Sriharikota, this diversion is made to avoid the neighbour country’s airspace.
- The SSLVs launch from Kulasekaranpattinam spaceport doesn’t have to take this diversion and the rockets can now head straight in the southern direction.
- These SSLVs can be used to launch satellites that weigh less than 500 kg into the lower earth orbit.
- Launching these satellites from Sriharikota incurs more expense due to the longer distance the rocket has to travel. Since more fuel needs to be carried to cover the longer distance, this reduces the rocket’s payload capacity.
- Launching small rockets from Sriharikota is difficult for these reasons.
- Kulasekaranpattinam is closer to the equator than Sriharikota. Both these factors could contribute to saving fuel. ISRO has designed SSLVs to launch light-weight satellites at low costs.
- The ISRO Propulsion Research Complex located in Mahendragiri, in Tirunelveli district is relatively closer to the Kulasekarapattinam spaceport. Kulasekaranpattinam is better known for its Dussehra celebrations at Sri Mutharamman Temple.
