ISTOCK
The construction of the country's second launch complex here in Tuticorin district is expected to be over by December 2026 and there is a possibility of about 25 launches a year from the spaceport, ISRO Chairman V Narayanan has said.
Speaking to reporters after participating in the Bhumi Puja for the launch pad here on Wednesday, he said the launch of satellites using a Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) that can carry a payload of 500 kg up to an altitude of 400 km, would be taken up from here.
The complex is coming up on 2300 acres of land and would be the second such facility, the other being the one at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
"Annually there will be 20-25 satellite launches," he said.
The Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLVs) are different from Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLVs) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicles (GSLVs) which can carry heavier payloads and are generally used in deep space exploration programmes. The PSLVs and GSLVs are launched from India's first spaceport, Sriharikota.