Tamil Nadu's own spaceport now has a date. ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said on Sunday that the new rocket launch complex at Kulasekarapattinam in Thoothukudi district is expected to carry out its first launch in March or April 2027.
What ISRO said
Speaking to reporters at Chennai airport, Narayanan said work on the Kulasekarapattinam facility is progressing quickly and efforts are under way to make a first launch possible in that March–April window.
He also gave updates on several national programmes:
- GSLV-F18, launched on 30 October with a navigation satellite, put the satellite into an initial elliptical orbit at roughly 38,000 km. Its onboard propulsion has since raised it by another 5,500 km, and further manoeuvres are under way to reach its designated orbit.
- Gaganyaan has completed around 8,000 tests. Three uncrewed missions will fly before astronauts are sent up.
- Chandrayaan-4 is targeted for 2028, and work on Chandrayaan-5 continues.
He called the navigation satellite programme a major achievement and pointed to its uses in precise positioning and timing, aviation, maritime traffic, railways and public safety.
Why this matters for Tamil Nadu
Kulasekarapattinam puts launch infrastructure inside Tamil Nadu, in the state's far south. The value goes beyond the launches. A spaceport needs work around it, from integration and testing to logistics and engineering services, and that work tends to settle near the pad. For space startups and suppliers deciding where to set up, Thoothukudi now has a concrete date attached to it.
What to watch
A target date is not a launch. Narayanan said efforts are under way to make March–April possible. That is a goal, not a commitment. The next markers to watch are the facility's completion milestones and which vehicle is named for the first flight.
For now, the state has a timeline to hold ISRO to.
Source: DT Next: Kulasekarapattinam to launch 1st rocket in March-April 2027: ISRO Chairman
