ISRO invites private firms to operate satellite launch centre in Thoothukudi
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Thiruvananthapuram: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has decided to involve private companies in operating the Small Satellite Launch Complex (SLC) being developed at Kulasekharapatnam in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi district.
The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), the agency responsible for facilitating private participation in India’s space sector, has invited Expressions of Interest (EOI) from eligible private companies to operate the facility.
The SLC is being developed primarily for launching small rockets and will be ISRO’s first satellite launch centre outside Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
The EOI is open to Indian-owned companies that meet the eligibility criteria. Selected firms will receive technical guidance, support and training from ISRO for the first three launches or for a period of one year, whichever is applicable.
Companies applying for the project should have at least seven years of experience in the sector. They should also have recorded an annual turnover of more than ₹2,000 crore in any three of the previous five financial years and currently possess assets worth at least ₹1,000 crore.
The move is part of ISRO’s broader efforts to increase private participation in India’s space programme. It comes after the space agency began transferring rocket-related technical know-how, including technology associated with the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3), to private industry.
The Centre had approved the construction of the Kulasekharapatnam launch facility to cater specifically to small satellite launch vehicles. The new centre is expected to help ease congestion at Sriharikota, ISRO’s primary launch site.
The need for an additional launch facility has grown with the entry of private players into the small satellite launch vehicle segment, alongside ISRO’s own Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV).
The Kulasekharapatnam facility is also expected to play a key role as India expands its commercial space sector and increases the participation of private companies in satellite launches.
