Scientists and Politicians batting for Third ISRO LaunchPad in Tuticorin (Kulasekarapattinam)
ISRO has gained lot of popularity after Chandrayan, which got more boost with Mangalyan (a rocket to explore Planet Mars)With the need for more satellites in the modern times, ISRO is expanding its launching capabilities. ISRO is planning to have one more Launch Pad and is looking for options
Option 1) Sriharikota
Option 2) Kulasekarapattinam
Scientists after the feasibility study prefer Kulasekarapattinam
say Tuticorin (Kulasekarapattinam) is a good location for a rocket that needs to fly southwards. As a matter of fact, Tuticorin was long ago considered for locating a rocket launching site but the locals opposed this,” a senior official of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) commented
“A rocket launch site should be on the east coast and near the equator. And Tuticorin district satisfies that condition,” a former ISRO official told IANS.
According to him, a spaceport in Tuticorin district will be ideal for putting satellites in polar orbit normally undertaken through ISRO’s polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) and not for satellites for geostationary orbits undertaken by the geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV). Kulasekarapattinam, a busy port a century ago is now mostly deserted and ideal for setting up a large project like this.
Former Chief Minister , Karunanidhi and his daughter Kanimozhi are batting hard to bring the Launch Pad to Tuticorin district . Karunanidhi also suggested that an Indian Institute of Aerospace and Propulsion Technology be set up at Mahendragiri in Tirunelveli district, around 650 km from here.DMK Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi has approached the Prime Minister and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to bring the rocket launch centre to Kulasekarapattinam, which is only 40 km from the liquid propulsion system centre at Mahendragiri from where most of the equipment would be mobilised for satellite and rocket launches.
ISRO has its Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) at Mahendragiri where it assembles the second and fourth stage/engines for the PSLV. The centre also assembles the second stage engine for the GSLV rocket.
“Instead of transporting the second and fourth stages to Sriharikota from Mahendragiri it will be easier to shift them to the launch pad if it is built in Kulasekarapattinam which is around 100 km away. Further it is also near the equator,”
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