ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said the first rocket launch from Tamil Nadu's Kulasekarapattinam spaceport is planned for March or April next year, as the agency expands India's launch infrastructure.

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• ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said on November 1 that the first rocket will be launched from Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu in March or April next year.
• The site is the SSLV Launch Complex in Thoothukudi district, which will be ISRO's second spaceport after Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
• It is designed mainly for polar launches of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle, which is meant to carry small satellites of up to 500 kg.
• Rockets can be launched directly southward over the Indian Ocean without crossing landmasses, which saves fuel for small launch vehicles.
• Construction at the launch site began on March 5, 2025, with a groundbreaking for three major facilities within the complex.
• The spaceport is planned to house about 35 facilities, including a launch pad, rocket integration facilities, a ground range and a mobile launch structure.
• Its planned capacity is 20 to 25 launches a year, and it is expected to host private launch firms such as Skyroot Aerospace and Agnikul Cosmos after commissioning.
• In October, Narayanan said India will have four functional launch pads by 2029, including a 2,000-acre SSLV complex at Kulasekarapattinam.
• He said the complex will include integration buildings, launch pads, rail-track systems and telemetry, tracking and command infrastructure, without naming locations for the other pads.
• Earlier statements from ISRO had pointed to a first SSLV launch from the site in 2027.

Tags: Kulasekarapattinam, SSLV, ISRO