A rocket launch site is a site for launching or receiving spacecraft and is also known as a spaceport or cosmodrome. In layman terms, it is a facility from which rockets are launched. These world’s cosmodromes play an important role in our everyday life. Orbital satellites monitor weather patterns to let us know about the weather conditions. They provide GPS data to get from place to place, and they bring calls to our mobile phones, programs to your televisions, and more such things.
All of this starts with a rocket launch, and these cosmodromes provide the basic infrastructure to send these satellites into orbit. A rocket launch site is typically surrounded by a large safety area, known as a rocket range or missile range.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is India’s space agency founded in 1969 to help develop an indigenous Indian space program. Learn more about the space organization at the linked article.
These launch sites are important from the government and IAS exam perspective and candidates must refer to the details discussed further below in the article.
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The Location of a Rocket Launch site
A point to note is that rocket launch sites are usually built near the Equator, as it is easier to launch from the Eastern side, and this has to do a lot with the physics of the Earth, which is spherical as it rotates around a central axis. The closer you are to the Equator, the faster the ground beneath your feet is moving. This point is due to the rotational speed of Earth. If anything goes wrong during their ascent, the debris will fall into an ocean’s waters, far away from densely populated areas limiting human casualties due to the rockets traveling Eastward.
World’s First Rocket Launch Site
The Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan was the world’s first launch site for orbital and human launches and was the first to launch a cosmonaut into space, Yuri Gagarin of Russia, in the year 1961. The world’s first satellite, Sputnik, was also launched in 1957 from this site.
India’s First Rocket Launch Site and ISRO
The national space agency of India is The Indian Space Research Organisation, or ISRO, with its headquarters in Bengaluru. The Indian space program started with Thumba near Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, on 21 November 1963, when the first sounding rocket was launched from here.
IAS aspirants can learn about the List of Space Centres & Indian Space Agencies at the linked article.
India’s Rocket Launch Sites
There are three major rocket launch sites in India:
- Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram (Thumba), Kerala,
- Satish Dhawan Space Centre (Sriharikota), Andhra Pradesh,
- Dr Abdul Kalam Island, Bhadrak, Odisha
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: This space centre is named after the father of the Indian space program, Dr Vikram Sarabhai. It was earlier known as the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) when it was started in 1963. It is the largest among the ISRO facilities in India. The designing and development of satellite launch vehicles and associated technologies are carried out at this venue.
Satish Dhawan Space Centre: Located in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) or Sriharikota Range (SHAR) is a rocket launch centre. It was established in 1969. As it is close to the Equator and has a large uninhabited space nearby, it is an ideal site. Most of the Indian satellite launches are currently performed from here. The heaviest rocket launched from here was 6,90,000 kilograms.
Military Rocket Testing sites in India
Abdul Kalam Island: Formerly known as Wheeler Island, Dr Abdul Kalam Island is an island located in the coastal outskirts of Odisha, India, which hosts the Integrated Test Range missile testing facility. It is operated by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and is host to most of the military missile testing in India. Its main purpose is to make an advancement in the development of launch vehicle technology in India.
Indian Space research centres are an important static GK topic. For information on various Static GK check the article linked here.
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Frequently Asked Questions on Rocket Launch Sites in India
What is Abdul Kalam Island?
Wheeler Island, also known as Dr Abdul Kalam Island, is an island on the offshores of Odisha in India. It is approximately 150 kilometres east of the state capital Bhubaneswar. At first, the island was named after the English commandant Lieutenant Hugh Wheeler. On 4 September 2015, the island was renamed to give respect to late Indian president Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
What happens at Dr Abdul Kalam Island?
This island serves as an integrated Test Range missile testing facility. Most Indian Missiles such as the Akash, Agni, Astra, BrahMos, Nirbhay, Prahaar, Prithvi, Shaurya, ASAT, amongst others, have been tested over here.
How many rocket launching sites are there in India?
As of today, majorly there are three rocket launching sites in India. Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram (Thumba), Kerala, Satish Dhawan Space Centre (Sriharikota) located in Andhra Pradesh, and Dr Abdul Kalam Island, which is located in Odisha, are the three rocket launching sites.
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