The first rocket from the under-construction Kulasai rocket launch site in Kulasekarapattinam, Thoothukudi district, is expected to lift off in March or April 2027, ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan has said. The announcement places Tamil Nadu’s new space infrastructure on a defined operational timeline as construction of the launch facility progresses.
Narayanan made the statement while discussing India’s recent space missions and the development of the new launch site. The facility at Kulasekarapattinam is being built to expand the country’s launch infrastructure, although the source report does not specify the rocket, payload or mission profile planned for the inaugural launch.
The proposed launch site is located in southern Tamil Nadu, a region that is gaining importance in India’s space activity. Its development adds a second launch location to the country’s established space-launch network and is expected to support future missions from the state. The report, however, does not provide the project’s total cost, land area, construction schedule or the agencies and contractors involved in the work.
Narayanan also referred to the successful launch of a navigation satellite on November 30 using the GSLV-F18 rocket. The satellite was initially placed in an elliptical orbit at an altitude of 38,000 kilometres. Its onboard propulsion system was then used to raise it by a further 5,500 kilometres, with additional manoeuvres being carried out to place it in its intended orbit, according to the ISRO chairman.
He said India currently has 56 satellites and would require thousands of satellites to meet the country’s requirements, including information gathering and monitoring. The comments underline the growing infrastructure demands placed on the national space programme, from launch facilities and spacecraft production to tracking and satellite-based services.
The chairman also said the Gaganyaan human-spaceflight programme was progressing well. Before sending astronauts into space, ISRO plans to conduct tests using uncrewed spacecraft. He further said Chandrayaan-4 is planned for 2028, with work under way to advance lunar research.
For Kulasekarapattinam, the March-April 2027 target will be the next major milestone in converting the site from a construction project into an operating launch facility. The source report does not state the precise launch date or identify the mission that will inaugurate the site. Those details are expected to be established through subsequent ISRO announcements as construction and mission preparation advance.
