ISRO says it will operate four launch pads by 2029
ISRO chairman says a new 2,000-acre SSLV complex at Kulasekarapattinam helps take India to four launch pads by 2029.
updates
- 2026-11-01ISRO's Narayanan now puts a specific date on the new Tamil Nadu spaceport's debut launch: March or April 2027.
what happened
ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan said Oct. 25, at a university event in Chennai, that India will have four functional launch pads by 2029, per PTI. He detailed a dedicated 2,000-acre Small Satellite Launch Vehicle complex under construction at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin district, which will include integration buildings, launch pads, rail-track systems, and telemetry, tracking and command systems. Narayanan said ISRO will not be privatized but called partnering with private firms essential to meet surging domestic and global satellite demand, saying the agency will "handhold startups and private enterprises, transferring technological expertise." Narayanan told reporters at Chennai airport Nov. 1 that the first rocket will launch from the Kulasekharapatnam site "next year in March or April," per ETV Bharat.
why it matters
A second active Indian spaceport with dedicated SSLV infrastructure would add launch capacity for India's smallsat and rideshare market, relevant to launch brokers and satellite operators weighing India as a launch option. Narayanan's repeated emphasis on enabling rather than competing with private providers signals ISRO's continued shift toward a supporting role in commercial launch, though the plan names only one of the four pads; the other three remain unspecified.
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- ISRO
- Category
- launch
- Impact
- notable
- SNR
- 3 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-10-25
- Published
- 2026-10-25 21:27 UTC