Isro third launch pad gets cabinet nod, to cost over Rs 3,90,00,000

BENGALURU: Isro Thursday said that it has received the green light for the construction of a Third Launch Pad (TLP) at its Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, from the Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The project, estimated to cost Rs 3,984.8 crore, is set to enhance India’s space launch capabilities and support future human spaceflight missions.
The new facility is designed with versatility in mind, capable of supporting both Next Generation Launch Vehicles (NGLV) and LVM3 vehicles with Semicryogenic stages.

This strategic expansion comes as India sets its sights on ambitious space goals, including establishing its own space station by 2035 and achieving a crewed lunar landing by 2040.
“The TLP will be developed with maximum industry participation, leveraging Isro’s extensive experience from previous launch pad establishments,” a govt statement read. The project is scheduled for completion within 48 months.

TOI had first reported about the TLP in Oct 2024. In an exclusive interview with TOI, then Isro chairman S Somanath had said: “We only have the second launch pad now. The first one was created for PSLV, but it can’t be used for GSLV as it cannot handle the cryogenic stage. When LVM-3 came, we re-engineered the second launch pad. Now, LVM-3 will also have a semi-cryo stage, and the human spaceflight initially has to happen there.”
Pointing out that the second launch pad has been undergoing several improvements in the past two decades, Somanath said in case something happens to the second launch pad — an explosion, for instance — there won’t be a launch pad available for GSLV, and every programme will come to a standstill.
“The primary objective of the third launch pad is to serve as a redundancy. Next is that we are moving to a new philosophy with the NGLV (New Generation Launch Vehicle); it is going to be integrated horizontally and tilted, not vertically. The launch pad must support this aspect. NGLV will be more liquid engine booster-based than solid engine, so the entire launch pad jet deflector design will change. Also, the entire stage testing will happen here and not at Mahendragiri. The launch pad will cater to all of this,” Somanath had said.