NEW DELHI: Ahead of upcoming space missions, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday approved the establishment of the Third Launch Pad (TLP) at Satish Dhawan Space Centre of ISRO at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The launch pad is expected to be developed at a cost of Rs 3,984.86 crore in the coming four years.
While India currently has two launch pads, it cannot support the new generation of heavier launch vehicles -- critical for upcoming space missions including the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) by 2035 and an Indian Crewed Lunar Landing by 2040.
"The Third Launch Pad project envisages the establishment of the launch infrastructure at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh for the Next Generation Launch Vehicles (NGLV) of ISRO and also to support as a standby launch pad for the Second Launch Pad at Sriharikota," a Cabinet communique said.
It "is highly essential so as to meet the evolving space transportation requirements for another 25-30 years", it added.
The project will have a universal configuration that can support the NGLV and the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LMV3) with a semi-cryogenic stage, as well as scaled-up configurations of the NGLV. (IANS)
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