Chennai, Mar 17 (UNI) The first Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), which is likely to carry a

500 kg satellite, will be launched from India's second spaceport in two years at Kulasekarapattinam

in the southern Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu, where the construction works are on in full swing.

This was disclosed by ISRO Chairman Dr V Naryanan after inaugurating a new Research Centre

for space applications at IIT-Madras on Monday.

Talking to reporters here said,the first SSLV launch mission from Kulasekarapattinam will take place in 24 months with the commissioning of all the facilities by that time.

ISRO has its hands full for the year 2025 having lined up a series of launch missions including

GSLV, a commercial mission using LVM-3 to launch Blue Bird-2 satellite from US that would

enable individuals to make calls using smartphones from space, besides an unmanned

Gaganyaan humanoid test mission.

It may be noted ISRO is constructing its second spaceport at Kulasekarapattinam, a coastal village

in the southern Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu.

The second spaceport will mainly cater to SSLV missions in view of the heavy demand for launching small satellites in a 500 km Planar Orbit, with the participation of the private sector, which will also

be involved in SSLV rocket project.

SSLV can carry Single/Multi Satellites-- Nano, Micro and Mini satellites.

It can carry Single satellite weighing up to 500 kg in 500 km planar orbit. It can also carry three Multiple satellites ranging from 10 kg to 300 kg into 500 km Planar Orbit

SSLV is a 3-stage Launch Vehicle configured with three Solid Propulsion Stages and liquid

propulsion based Velocity Trimming Module (VTM) as a terminal stage.

SSLV is 2m in diameter and 34m in length with lift off mass of 120 tonnes.

The key features of SSLV are Low cost, with low turn-around time, flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites, launch on demand feasibility, minimal launch infrastructure requirements, etc.

The facility is being constructed over 2,350 acres at Kulasekarapattinam, where the works are

going on in full swing following completion of the land acquisition process with the assistance

of the Tamil Nadu government.

The groundbreaking ceremony was performed on February 28, 2024.

To mark this historic occasion, ISRO launched a RH-200 Rohini Sounding Rocket from the launch complex on that day. This was the first rocket launch from the spaceport. The Vikram Sarabhai

Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, provided the rocket and the meteorological payload, while SDSC, SHAR Range, installed the launch facilities including radars, launchers, and electronic systems for this launch mission.

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