Isro plans 3rd launch pad at Sriharikota

K Radhakrshnan says launch pad that's required to carry heavy payloads would happen in two years

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has lined up 50 missions in the next five years. To support these launches, the organisation is planning to set up a ‘high-tech’ third launch pad at Sriharikota space station, near Chennai, before 2016.

“We require one more launch pad to carry heavy payloads and it would happen here in the two years from now,” said Isro chairman K Radhakrishnan.

The launch pad will mainly support Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk-III), which will be carrying heavier satellites.

Speaking to reporters after the successful launch of GSLV-D5 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, K Radhakrishnan said the Centre had given its nod to set up an assembly centre and a study was getting ready on the same.

Officials added the assembling facility and launch pad would come up in a 3-sq km area, which was bigger than the measurement of the existing two launch pads, and would require Rs 500-crore investment.

The new complex would provide complete support for the vehicle assembly, fuelling, checkout and launch operations. Besides, it would have facilities for launching rockets meant for studying the earth’s atmosphere.

The complex would also have  mobile pedestals, umbilical towers, emergency exits, ground escape system, crew ingress and egress systems, safety bunkers, material handling equipment among others.