Suspension of Selected Launches at Sriharikota: Reliability-First Approach in India's Space Programme

Suspension of Selected Launches at Sriharikota: Reliability-First Approach in India's Space Programme

Introduction

The Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, is India's primary spaceport and the operational heart of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Every major Indian launch vehicle—including PSLV, GSLV and LVM3—has been launched from Sriharikota. In recent months, certain planned launches have been temporarily deferred following launch vehicle failures and technical reviews. The objective is not to slow India's space programme but to enhance mission reliability before resuming high-value launches.

The discussion below is based on official statements of the Department of Space, ISRO publications, Parliamentary replies, Government press releases and information contained in the uploaded transcript. Claims in the transcript that are not supported by official government sources are not treated as established facts.

I. Background and Historical Evolution

India's space programme began in 1962 with the establishment of INCOSPAR under Dr. Vikram Sarabhai. ISRO was formed in 1969, and Sriharikota was selected as India's principal launch centre because of its favourable geographic location near the equator.

Over the decades Sriharikota has successfully launched:

• PSLV missions
• GSLV missions
• LVM3 missions
• Chandrayaan missions
• Mangalyaan
• Aditya-L1
• Numerous communication, navigation and Earth observation satellites.