Work to begin in Tamil Nadu on India's second spaceport

CHENNAI: The land acquisition for a new space launch port at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu has been completed, and work is commencing to build a state-of-the-art space launch port there, Dr Mylswamy Annadurai , vice president of Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology, said on Saturday.
The new launchpad will help IIndian Space Research Organization (SRO) save significant amounts of fuel and also act as a dedicated space for launching Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLV).
Once completed, Kulasekarapattinam will be the country's second spaceport after Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. ISRO will also soon have a second development flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) after the first attempt was met with disappointment, he added.
The space scientist was speaking at the inauguration of a space technology conclave hosted by IIT-Madras, the US Consulate General, Chennai and Indian Space Association.
"There is an urgent need among like-minded countries to have a holistic space policy that encourages international collaboration," Annadurai said. The space tech conclave is set to bring together major stakeholders in the sector to explore ways to improve business opportunities and collaboration across the Indo-Pacific region. The gathering also saw the launch of a new industry body - Association of Space Entrepreneurs in the Indo-Pacific (ASEIP), and will also bring out a white paper on the opportunities in space tech collaboration for the Indo-Pacific nations.
Speaking at the event, Rajeev Jyoti, Director (Technical), Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe), said that the entry of private space businesses and entrepreneurs to work with ISRO has given a boost to the ecosystem.
"Space, in the next 10 years, is shifting from geo-satellites to constellations of satellites. There are estimates that 10,000 satellites are likely to be launched in the near future. We at IN-SPACe have received around 125 business proposals from space businesses and startups, and around 12 have already proceeded to the MoU stage with 12 more set to close soon," he said.