Sriharikota is India's spaceport. It is an island on the coast of Andhra Pradesh, about 80 km from Chennai, and home to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC SHAR). The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launches its rockets from there. It has two launch pads, and a third is being built.
Where exactly is Sriharikota?
It is a spindle-shaped island in Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh. It lies between Pulicat Lake and the Buckingham Canal on one side and the Bay of Bengal on the other. The centre covers about 43,360 acres (175 square km) and has a 50 km coastline. It is a 20-minute drive east of Sullurupeta, on National Highway 5. All of this is from the SDSC SHAR about page.
The centre was renamed on 5 September 2002 after Prof. Satish Dhawan.
Why does ISRO launch from Sriharikota?
The site was chosen in 1969. SDSC SHAR gives three reasons: a good launch azimuth (the direction rockets can fly), nearness to the equator, and room for a safety zone. The first launch was a Rohini-125 sounding rocket on 9 October 1971.
Our note: an east coast site means rockets head out over the sea, away from towns. This is our reading, not ISRO's wording.
What launch pads does Sriharikota have?
- First Launch Pad (FLP). Built in the early 1990s. Rockets are assembled on the pad, inside a 3,200-ton Mobile Service Tower. Its first launch was PSLV with IRS-P1 on 20 September 1993.
- Second Launch Pad (SLP). In use since 2005, built by Mecon Ltd. Rockets are assembled in a separate Vehicle Assembly Building and moved to the pad. Its first launch was PSLV with Cartosat-1 on 5 May 2005.
That is from ISRO's launch services page. According to the government's 2025 note on the third pad, the FLP handles the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV). The SLP is mainly for the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) and the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3).
What is the third launch pad?
On 16 January 2025, the Union Cabinet approved a Third Launch Pad at Sriharikota, at a cost of Rs 3,984.86 crore. It is meant for ISRO's Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) and as a standby for the SLP. The target was to build it in 48 months, the government said.
What has launched from Sriharikota recently?
SDSC SHAR lists these as its recent missions:
- LVM3-M6, the BlueBird Block-2 satellite for AST SpaceMobile, on 24 December 2025.
- PSLV-C62 with EOS-N1, on 12 January 2026. It did not complete its intended trajectory, The Hindu reported.
- GSLV-F17 with EOS-05, on 4 September 2026.
Next up is GSLV-F18 with NVS-03, set for 30 October 2026. See our GSLV-F18 launch time page, or ISRO's next launch for what follows.
Can I visit Sriharikota to watch a launch?
Yes, from the free Launch View Gallery, if you register for that launch. Our Launch View Gallery guide explains how. To check whether anything is flying on a given day, see Is there a launch from Sriharikota today?
