Chennai: ISRO Chairman V Narayanan has said that India plans to expand its space operations significantly, with four functional launch pads expected by 2029.
He outlined the agency’s roadmap, which includes a dedicated 2,000-acre Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) complex at Kulasekarapattinam in Tuticorin district to meet global demand for satellite deployment.
Clarifying that the national space agency would not be privatised, Narayanan emphasised that partnerships with private firms were essential to meet growing global and domestic demand for thousands of satellites.
"To handle this expanding ecosystem, ISRO will handhold startups and private enterprises, transferring technological expertise to foster economic growth and generate thousands of high-tech jobs," he said while speaking at a graduation ceremony at a private university on Saturday.
"India will expand its space operations significantly with four functional launch pads by 2029, supported by an increasing reliance on private industry partnerships to handle commercial operations," Narayanan said.
The ISRO chief said the upcoming Kulasekarapattinam spaceport would feature key infrastructure, including integration buildings, launch pads, rail-track systems, and telemetry, tracking and command systems. However, he did not elaborate on the other three proposed launch pads.
Narayanan said ISRO plans to conduct the first uncrewed Gaganyaan test within the next two months, followed by two more uncrewed tests before the crewed mission.
"These tests will evaluate environmental control, safety systems, crew escape mechanisms, and module interiors under varying pressure, temperature, and humidity conditions," he said.
He said ISRO had successfully conducted approximately 8,000 ground-based experiments for the mission, while four astronaut-designates were undergoing specialised training.
Looking further ahead, Narayanan outlined plans for Chandrayaan-5, a collaborative lunar mission with Japan’s space agency. The mission is expected to feature a 350-kg rover designed to conduct 100 days of experiments on the lunar surface.