ISRO’s first SSLV launch from Kulasekarapattinam set for 2027: Chairman

The first rocket launch from the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) Launch Complex at Kulasekarapattinam in southern Tamil Nadu will happen in 24 months, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan, said on Monday.

Speaking to newspersons after inaugurating the S Ramakrishnan Centre of Excellence for Research in Fluid and Thermal Sciences in IIT-Madras, Narayanan said that a ‘ground breaking ceremony’ was done for the realisation of three major facilities within the complex on March 5. Subsequently, the site development activities were carried out, and the site is now ready for the commencement of the construction of the Upper Stage Assembly Facilities (UAF-I & UAF-II) for the preparation of the second and third stages of the 3-staged SSLV vehicle along with a Launch Service Building (LSB).

The launch complex at Kulasekarapattinam will primarily address the polar launches of the SSLV, which is envisaged to capture the global launch service market for small satellites up to 500 kg. SSLV development has been completed and in the operational phase, the vehicle is envisaged for production by Indian industry, he said. Regarding when the launch of NISAR satellite -a joint mission by NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)- can be expected, Narayanan said it would happen in a few months.

The new centre will serve as a nodal centre for research in heat transfer, cooling systems, and fluid dynamics, which are essential for the next generation of spacecraft and satellite technologies.

ISRO Chairman V Narayanan launched the centre on Monday in the presence of IIT-Madras director V Kamakoti, institute faculty members, and ISRO officials. Scientists and engineers from ISRO will work alongside faculty and researchers from IIT Madras to address complex challenges in space applications.

Ramakrishnan was a distinguished alumnus of IIT Madras and an aerospace engineer with accomplishments in launch vehicle engineering and development. He was also the project director for Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) MK3. He also served as the director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, which focuses on developing liquid and cryogenic propulsion systems for ISRO’s launch vehicles and spacecraft, and Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.

In his speech, Narayanan recalled Ramakrishnan’s contributions to developing PSLV and GSLV MK3. He also urged top institutes like IITs to put a strong foundation for winning Nobel prizes in the department of science. “Our support is always there for you,” he said.

Narayanan said that the Cryogenic Engine technology was denied to India but today the country has three different such engines with the third one being human-rated. Only six countries in the world have this technology.

“We have three world records in the technology. We got it right in our third attempt. Second, From the engine test to flight, we got it done in 28 months while other countries took between 42 months and 18 years. We conducted the test in 34 days, which no other country had done as they took around 5 to 6 months,” he said.