India will have four operational ISRO launch pads by 2029, up from two today, as the space agency gears up for a sharp rise in launch frequency — and chairman V. Narayanan has stressed that none of this means ISRO itself is being handed over to private hands.
Key Takeaways
- ISRO is building new ISRO launch pads at Sriharikota and Kulasekarapattinam, taking the national total to four by 2029.
- Chairman V. Narayanan says the expansion is driven by Gaganyaan, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and a rising number of satellite launches.
- Narayanan has explicitly ruled out privatisation of ISRO, distinguishing it from the private sector’s growing role in rocket manufacturing.
- The Third Launch Pad at Sriharikota is meant for India’s Next Generation Launch Vehicle, ISRO’s answer to heavier, reusable rockets.
Why Is ISRO Adding More Launch Pads Now?
For nearly three decades, India’s entire orbital launch programme has run off just two pads at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The First Launch Pad went live in 1993, the Second in 2005. That setup worked fine when ISRO launched a handful of rockets a year.
It won’t work for what’s coming. Gaganyaan’s crewed missions, the planned Bharatiya Antariksh Station, a steady stream of commercial and defence satellites, and India’s push into heavier launch vehicles all need more runway — literally. Narayanan has framed the new ISRO launch pads as the physical backbone for that scale-up, not a cosmetic upgrade.
Which New Launch Pads Are Being Built?
Two major additions are underway alongside the existing Sriharikota pair:
| Launch Pad | Location | Primary Purpose | Status |
| First Launch Pad (FLP) | Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh | PSLV and older vehicles | Operational since 1993 |
| Second Launch Pad (SLP) | Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh | GSLV, LVM3, Gaganyaan | Operational since 2005 |
| Third Launch Pad (TLP) | Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh | Next Generation Launch Vehicle, heavier/reusable rockets | Under construction, targeted by 2028-29 |
| New Spaceport | Kulasekarapattinam, Tamil Nadu | Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) missions | Under development |
The Third Launch Pad, cleared by the Union Cabinet, is specifically sized for the Next Generation Launch Vehicle, ISRO’s upcoming heavy-lift rocket that’s expected to eventually carry reusable boosters. The Kulasekarapattinam site solves a different problem: it lets ISRO fire small satellites southward without flying over Sri Lanka, something Sriharikota’s geography doesn’t allow.
What Does “Four Launch Pads by 2029” Actually Buy India?
One extra pad might sound incremental. It isn’t. Right now, every heavy and crewed mission queues up on the same two pads, which means a delay on one Gaganyaan test can push back an unrelated satellite launch. Four ISRO launch pads running in parallel means ISRO can prep a crewed mission on one pad while a commercial payload sits ready on another — closer to how a busy airport runs multiple runways instead of one.
That matters commercially too. India has steadily been chasing a bigger share of the global small-satellite launch market, and Satish Dhawan Space Centre has been operating close to its practical capacity for years. More pads mean ISRO can promise tighter launch windows to paying customers, which is exactly what competitors like SpaceX and smaller players such as Rocket Lab already do with multiple pad sites.
Is ISRO Itself Being Privatised?
No — and Narayanan went out of his way to say so. The confusion comes from genuine changes in how India builds rockets. Since 2020, the government has opened up satellite and launch vehicle manufacturing to private companies, created IN-SPACe as an independent regulator, and used NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) to hand over PSLV production to a private industry consortium.
Put those pieces together and it’s easy to assume ISRO is slowly being dismantled and sold off. Narayanan’s clarification draws a clean line: private firms are taking over manufacturing and routine production, while ISRO itself stays a government research and development body, focused on new technology, deep-space missions and human spaceflight. The ISRO launch pads being built now will remain government-owned and government-operated infrastructure, even if private rockets eventually fly from them.
An India Angle Worth Noting
Compare this to how NASA works with American pads. Florida’s Kennedy Space Center leases pads to SpaceX and other private companies, while NASA itself stays the landlord and regulator. India looks to be inching toward a similar split — ISRO owns and runs the ground infrastructure, including every new ISRO launch pad coming up by 2029, while private firms increasingly build and sometimes fly the rockets that use them. It’s less a retreat by ISRO and more a rebalancing of who does what.
What’s the Timeline for These Launch Pads?
- 2024-25: Cabinet clearance and groundwork for the Third Launch Pad at Sriharikota.
- 2025-27: Civil construction, integration facilities and testing infrastructure built out at both new sites.
- 2027-28: Kulasekarapattinam spaceport expected to handle its first SSLV launches.
- 2028-29: Third Launch Pad targeted for readiness, aligned with Next Generation Launch Vehicle development and Gaganyaan follow-on flights.
ISRO has a track record of these timelines slipping by a year or two — Gaganyaan’s crewed flight itself has been pushed back more than once — so 2029 is a target, not a guarantee.
Isro Launch Pads FAQ
How many launch pads does ISRO have right now?
ISRO currently operates two launch pads, both at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
Where is ISRO’s new Third Launch Pad being built?
It’s coming up at Sriharikota itself, next to the existing two pads, and is designed for India’s Next Generation Launch Vehicle.
Why is ISRO building a launch pad in Kulasekarapattinam?
Kulasekarapattinam, in Tamil Nadu, is meant mainly for Small Satellite Launch Vehicle missions and offers a clear southward flight path that Sriharikota can’t.
Did V. Narayanan say ISRO is being privatised?
No. He clarified that ISRO will remain a government organisation; private companies are taking on manufacturing and production work, not ownership of ISRO or its launch pads.
Why does ISRO need four launch pads by 2029?
To support Gaganyaan’s crewed missions, the planned Bharatiya Antariksh Station, and a growing number of satellite launches — all without one mission’s delay holding up another.
Conclusion
The push for four ISRO launch pads by 2029 is really about capacity catching up with ambition — more crewed missions, more satellites, more frequent launches. Narayanan’s privatisation clarification just makes clear who’s building what: private industry gets the factory floor, ISRO keeps the runway.