ISRO Chairman V Narayanan has said India plans to expand its space operations significantly, with four functional launch pads expected to be in place by 2029.
Outlining the space agency’s roadmap, Narayanan said a dedicated 2,000-acre Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) complex was being developed at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin district to meet growing global demand for satellite launches.
Clarifying that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) would not be privatised, he stressed that partnerships with private companies were essential to meeting the rising domestic and international demand for satellite deployment.
“To handle this expanding ecosystem, ISRO will handhold startups and private enterprises, transferring technological expertise to foster economic growth and generate thousands of high-tech jobs,” he said at a graduation ceremony at a private university on Saturday.
“India will expand its space operations significantly with four functional launch pads by 2029, supported by an increasing reliance on private industry partnerships to handle commercial operations,” Narayanan said.
The upcoming spaceport at Kulasekarapattinam will feature key infrastructure, including integration buildings, launch pads, rail-track systems, and telemetry, tracking and command systems, he added.
The ISRO chief said that the upcoming Kulasekarapattinam spaceport facility will feature crucial infrastructure such as integration buildings, launch pads, rail-track systems, telemetry, tracking, and command systems.
Stating that ISRO plans to conduct the first uncrewed Gaganyaan test within the next two months, followed by two subsequent uncrewed tests before the crewed mission, he said, "These tests will evaluate environmental control, safety systems, crew escape mechanisms, and module interiors under varying pressure, temperature, and humidity conditions."
He said ISRO successfully conducted approximately 8,000 ground-based experiments for the mission, and four astronaut-designates are currently undergoing specialised training.
Looking further ahead, Narayanan revealed plans for Chandrayaan-5, a collaborative lunar mission with Japan's space agency featuring a 350-kg rover designed to conduct 100 days of surface experiments.
(With inputs from PTI)
