What does the Sriharikota launch site look like?
The Sriharikota Launch Site is located on Sriharikota Island on the east coast of southern India. It was officially put into use in 1977 and is India's missile test and satellite launch site.
The Sriharikota launch site in India is the most important space launch center in India. It is located on Sriharikota Island on the east coast of India, 100 kilometers north of Madras, with geographical coordinates of 13°47′ north latitude and 80°15′ east longitude. The climate here is affected by the southwest monsoon and the northeast monsoon. October and November are heavy rain seasons, but most months of the year are sunny and clear, allowing for outdoor static testing and launch tests.
The Sriharikota launch site was officially put into use on October 9 and 10, 1971, and three Rohini 125 sounding rockets were launched. The SLV3 rocket was launched for the first time on August 10, 1979, but due to a malfunction in the second-stage guidance system, it failed to put a 40-kilogram satellite into low-Earth orbit. On July 18, 1980, the second launch of India's own satellite using the SLV-3 rocket was successful, sending the satellite into an orbit of 300/900 kilometers. The third launch on May 31, 1981 was partially successful.
The Sriharikota launch site covers an area of 145 square kilometers and accounts for 27 kilometers of coastline. The launch site has facilities for testing, assembly and launch of large multi-stage rockets and satellite launch vehicles, as well as tracking, telemetry and communication stations for Indian satellites. The Indian Space Research Center has also expanded its solid booster factory here to produce large-sized propellant grains for multi-stage rocket engines.
The Sriharikota launch site is located 100 kilometers north of Madras, India. It has a suitable climate and abundant sunshine, making it an ideal place for outdoor static testing and launch tests.
Since the Indian government selected this "feng shui treasure land" in 1971, after more than 30 years of construction, the Sriharikota launch site has become India's largest aerospace city and rocket launch center, with complete Rocket testing, assembly and launch facilities, and an advanced computer data processing center. India's four domestic launch vehicles - Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV), Extended Thrust Launch Vehicle (ASLV), Polar Orbit Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Orbit Launch Vehicle - are all launched from here. Germany, South Korea and Belgium Satellites commissioned by India and other countries are also launched from this center. To this end, the Indian Space Research Center has expanded its solid booster factory here to produce large-sized propellant grains for multi-stage rocket engines.
In recent years, India has significantly accelerated the pace of space technology research and development, made many achievements in the aerospace field, and become the sixth space power in the world after the United States, Russia, the European Union, China and Japan. India began to develop aerospace technology in the early 1960s. Before the 1970s, it mainly built sounding rocket launch sites and developed its own sounding rockets to lay the foundation for the development of launch vehicles. After the 1970s, it mainly developed applied satellites, remote sensing technology and launch vehicle. In 1975, the first man-made satellite "Ariyabhata" was successfully developed, and India began to gradually master the technology of satellite design, development, measurement and control. On July 18, 1980, India used its second self-developed SLV-3 launch vehicle to successfully launch a "Rosini" test satellite into an orbit at an altitude of 400 kilometers at the Sriharikota launch site. Making India the seventh country in the world to independently launch satellites.
However, India's aerospace scientific research has not been smooth sailing. There have been many records of launch failures and accidents, the most serious of which occurred on the afternoon of February 23, 2004. On that day, an explosion occurred at the solid fuel base at the Sriharikota Space Launch Center, killing at least six people and injuring five others. Even some large electric engines stored in the base also exploded at the same time. In recent years, India has been using liquid fuel rocket engines provided by Russia, whose maximum thrust does not exceed 5 tons. According to internationally recognized standards, a launch vehicle with a thrust of less than 8 tons is not enough to support manned space flight. India has announced that it will complete the moon landing in 2007. This accident may have been caused by its eagerness to develop high-thrust solid fuel.
However, accidents and setbacks have not dampened India’s determination to catch up with world powers in aerospace.
At 10:20 a.m. on May 5, 2005, India's PSLV-C6 polar satellite launch vehicle successfully launched two domestically produced satellites from the Sriharikota Space Launch Center. This was the first time that India completed the all-domestic launch of the Arrow Star. "Arrow Multi-Star" launch mission, and the newly-built "Universal Launch Platform" was launched. The rocket launch system cost nearly US$100 million and took five years to build. Indian President Kalam personally attended the opening ceremony of the new launch center. This launch greatly inspired confidence in India's aerospace development. The head of the space center declared: "India will launch a locally produced space shuttle before 2008. This will be a perfect combination of aerospace technology and aviation technology."
It can be said that the Sriharikota Space Launch Site has been a "witness" to every leap India has made in launch vehicle technology in recent years. The launch site not only confirms the progress of Indian aerospace, but also carries the hope of Indian aerospace in the future.