ISRO targets four functional launch pads by 2029

Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman V. Narayanan said India is targeting four functional launch pads by 2029, as the agency expands launch infrastructure and increases commercial partnerships with private companies. He said the plans would not amount to privatising ISRO, which remains a government agency. A central part of the proposed expansion is a dedicated Small Satellite Launch Vehicle complex at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi district. Narayanan described it as a facility covering about 2,000 acres, with integration buildings, launch facilities, rail-track systems and telemetry, tracking and command infrastructure. He said the expansion is intended to meet rising demand for satellite launches, though he did not identify the locations of all four planned launch pads. Narayanan said ISRO would work with private companies and startups on some commercial operations and provide technological support. He argued that private-sector participation was needed to respond to demand for thousands of satellites, while distinguishing that work from transferring ownership of the agency. The plans therefore combine a larger public launch infrastructure with a role...