Kulasekarapattinam

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India’s second launchpad for rockets

2024: Foundation stone

U Tejonmayam, March 7, 2024: The Times of India

How Sriharikota’s little sister boosts India’s space ambitions

Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu will host the country’s second launchpad for rockets. It offers a straight route to space and the promise of a supportive ecosystem

The latest launchpad for India’s expansive space goals is coming up close to the southern tip of Tamil Nadu, not very far from Kanniyakumari. PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for Kulasekarapattinam spaceport on February 28 and the facility is expected to start operations in two years. Spread over 2,292 acres across three villages in two taluks and expected to cost about Rs 986 crore, the site will be handling the launch of smaller satellites.


 Ready In 2 Years


Soon after the PM had left, an RH-200 rocket lifted off from a makeshift launchpad from the site off Bay of Bengal. Close to 60 years back, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) had fired its first Rohini rocket from the sleepy fishing village of Thumba in Thiruvananthapuram on the western coast. If the launch of another sounding rocket, from Kulasekarapattinam this time, reminds of the historic first scripted in Kerala, it also forms the prologue to Indian space programme’s next leap into the future. 
 Locational Advantage


Rockets launched from Kulasekarapattinam can save fuel as it avoids the need for a special flight path. unlike a PSLV rocket launched from Sriharikota. PSLV rockets have to perform what is known as a ‘dogleg manoeuvre’, a sharp turn to deviate from a straight flight path. The manoeuvre, dictated by the need to avoid flying over Sri Lanka so as to spare it the risk of falling space debris, entails an extra consumption of fuel. That, in turn, translates into reduced payload capacity. A rocket launched from Kulasekarapattinam can fly straight south, which means greater payload ratio.


 WHAT IS A DOGLEG MANOEUVRE?


➤ A PSLV rocket launched from Sriharikota must perform a ‘yaw’ or ‘dogleg’ manoeuvre to avoid flying over Sri Lanka, protecting the landmass from rocket debris


➤ The move involves a sharp turn (see map) that causes the rocket to deviate from a straight flight path after liftoff


➤ For dogleg manoeuvre, the rocket veers southeast-wards at liftoff before turning towards South Pole


➤ This manoeuvre requires more fuel, which eats into the rocket’s carrying capacity. That reduces the payload it can take to space


➤ The rocket can fly straight in the southward direction, thus removing the need for the small satellite launch vehicle (SSLV) to carry extra fuel. That means more payload capacity