Isro's third satellite launch pad for Gaganyaan mission will be ready by September 2028, minister Jitendra Singh tells Lok Sabha
The upcoming launch pad will be used for launching Gaganyatris, astronauts participating in the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission, onboard the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), which is under development, in addition to lifting off other heavier and strategic satellites into space. The third launch pad design will support the Launch Vehicle Mak 3 (offering a lift-off mass of up to 4,000 kg), supported with the semicryogenic stage.
In his reply to a question by Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayulu, the minister further said the TLP project received financial approval in March 2025.
'Subsequently, the geo-technical investigation and topography survey of the site were completed by May this year. Road works and electrical works are currently under evaluation. Multiple work packages have been identified for the establishment of the TLP facilities,' he said.
Most of the on-ground work for the upcoming launch pad is scheduled to be completed in 2028. Civil works are expected to be completed by May 2028. The establishment of fluid systems and associated propellant storage is targeted for July 2028. Launch pad facilities are planned to be in place by September 2028, and the final commissioning of the entire facility by March 2029.
The Department of Space, the minister said, will partner with Indian private players and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to the maximum extent possible towards building the third launch pad, a project of national importance. This means that before the end of this decade, Isro will be ready with the newest launch pad that would propel the multiple Gaganyaan and other human spaceflight missions planned to the moon. Besides, it will serve as a standby launch pad to the existing second launch pad.
Currently, Isro operates two launch pads at India's space port, the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota. The first launch pad primarily serves Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLV). The second launch pad accommodates heavier lift-offs, including the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) and the Launch Vehicle Mak 3 (LVM3), in addition to PSLV. Isro is also redeveloping and tweaking the second launch pad to support the lift-off of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HRLV).
The first two launch pads have been operational since 1993 and 2005, respectively. Since September 1993, the first launch pad has facilitated 50 launches. Isro officials at the space centre had earlier said that the establishment of a launch pad set-up offering flexibility to launch multiple vehicle types is a long-drawn exercise and could take about six years to reach full fruition.
Space centre officials earlier noted that the first launch pad, which has been in operation for over three decades, will need to be decommissioned in the near future. This decision is based on the launch pad nearing the end of its operational lifetime and its limitations in supporting the launch of heavier vehicles.
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