ISRO Chairman V Narayanan has said India will run four functional launch pads by 2029, even as the agency readies its first uncrewed Gaganyaan test within two months.

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• ISRO Chairman V Narayanan announced that India will have four functional launch pads by 2029 to handle a growing volume of satellite launches.
• He made the announcement at a graduation ceremony at a private university in Chennai on Saturday, October 24.
• ISRO is developing a dedicated Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) complex spread over 2,000 acres at Kulasekarapattinam in Tuticorin district.
• The new spaceport will include integration buildings, launch pads, rail-track systems, and telemetry, tracking and command systems.
• Narayanan did not share details about the other three proposed launch pads.
• He said ISRO will not be privatised but will hand-hold startups and private firms by transferring technological expertise.
• Private participation is seen as important because the sector is expected to see demand for thousands of satellites.
• ISRO plans to conduct the first uncrewed Gaganyaan test within the next two months, with two more uncrewed tests to follow before the crewed mission.
• These tests will evaluate environmental control, safety systems, crew escape mechanisms and module interiors under varying pressure, temperature and humidity conditions.
• ISRO has completed about 8,000 ground-based experiments for Gaganyaan, and four astronaut-designates are undergoing specialised training.
• Beyond Gaganyaan, ISRO is planning Chandrayaan-5, a joint lunar mission with Japan's space agency.
• Chandrayaan-5 will carry a 350-kg rover designed to conduct experiments on the lunar surface for 100 days.