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The Indian Space Research Organisation ( ISRO ) has receive the go - ahead to construct a new spaceport in Tamil Nadu , with which it aims to help private players launch little rockets in place with less fuel consumption .
On Wednesday , Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the second spaceport , turn up on an island named Kulasekharapatnam off the southern state of Tamil Nadu . It will be second after the space authority ’s existing Satish Dhawan Space Centre , founded in Andhra Pradesh ’s Sriharikota in 1971 , with two launch pads .
The spaceport will be dedicated to launch smaller launch vehicle and will be ready in about two years , ISRO chairman S Somanath said on the sideline of the event in Tamil Nadu . Smaller rockets are cheaper to launch and , like Rocket Lab ’s Electron , have shown that they can be a reliable and affordable way of life to get to space outside of sharing a ride with several other consignment .
Even though the fresh spaceport is not quick for individual launches , ISRO launched its two - stage sounding Eruca vesicaria sativa Rohini ( RH – 200 ) from Kulasekharapatnam on Wednesday evening ( local clock time ) using a wandering launching pad to stigmatize the development .
Spread over 2,350 acres , the Kulasekharapatnam spaceport will avail deliver fuel for pocket-size roquette launches as the porthole can establish rockets directly south over the Indian Ocean without call for crossing land mass . This is unlike the existing launch land site at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre , which add more fuel requirement for launch into a glacial range as rockets need to abide by a curved path to the Confederacy to avoid Sri Lanka ’s land mass .
The novel spaceport is in development with an investment of $ 119 million ( 986 crores Indian rupees ) and is designed to conduct 24 launches per yr using a mobile launching structure .
For the last few years , India has actively been growing its participation in space developments . The South Asiatic country has around 190 space tech startups that offer a variety of solvent for customers around the world , includinglaunch vehicle , hyperspectral imageryandspace situational awareness , among others . ISRO is also working strictly to expand the body politic ’s presence in the globose distance ecosystem . Last year , the space agency gained worldwide attending forsuccessfully land its lunar spacecrafton themoon ’s south poleandlaunching its coronagraphy spacecraft Aditya - L1to observe the Lord’s Day ’s upper atmosphere . Further , ISRO partnered withNASA to bring together the Artemis Accordsand work on a joint deputation to the International Space Station .
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Earlier this workweek , Modiannouncedfour spaceman - elects , namely Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair , Group Captain Ajit Krishnan , Group Captain Angad Pratap and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla , for the country ’s first human spacecraft mission , Gaganyaan , scheduled for 2025 . The three - day mission will set the pace for ship itsfirst astronaut to the moonshine in 2040 .
Last year , India introduced itsspace policyto detail guidelines for private participation . The country also recentlyupdated its foreign direct investment policywith raised limits for oversea investiture in distance developments .
“ This facility will toy an instrumental character in fit the increasing launching frequency of both ISRO and the grow private space industriousness in the come years . We believe that India ’s strategical investment in additional spaceports will position the nation to significantly enhance its launching service capability , fostering greater external coaction and solidifying its status as a spherical infinite power , ” said A.K. Bhatt , director general of the Indian Space Association .
