India’s Spaceports and Launch Vehicles: Complete Exam Notes on SHAR, Chandrayaan and PSLV vs GSLV
Quick Answer: India’s main spaceport is the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC SHAR) at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh — named after ISRO’s third Chairman, Prof. Satish Dhawan, in 2002. PSLV is ISRO’s reliable “workhorse” for polar orbits (up to ~1,750 kg to SSO), while GSLV and LVM3 are heavy lifters for geostationary and lunar missions. Chandrayaan-1 flew on PSLV-C11 (2008), Chandrayaan-2 on GSLV Mk III-M1 (2019) and Chandrayaan-3 on LVM3-M4 (2023), which soft-landed near the lunar south pole on 23 August 2023.
- What Is a Spaceport? Definition and Why It Matters for Exams
- Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota – Key Facts
- Other Indian Spaceports: Thumba (TERLS), Kulasekarapattinam and Planned Facilities
- Static Facts Table: ISRO Launch Vehicles, Missions and Launching Stations
- PSLV – The Workhorse: Versions, Capacity and Firsts
- GSLV and LVM3 – Heavy Lifters and Chandrayaan-2/3 Carriers
- PSLV vs GSLV: Exam-Ready Comparison Table
- Chandrayaan Missions 1, 2 and 3 – Year, Launcher, Launchpad and Outcome
- Memory Tricks and One-Liners for Revision
- Previous-Year Exam Questions on ISRO and Space Technology
- Practice MCQs with Answers
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: What is the full form of SHAR and where is it located?
- Q: Which rocket launched Chandrayaan-3 and from which launch pad?
- Q: How many satellites did PSLV-C37 launch in one flight?
- Q: Is Thumba or Sriharikota India’s first launching station?
- Q: Which Indian rocket is called the ‘Workhorse of ISRO’?
- Related reading
What Is a Spaceport? Definition and Why It Matters for Exams
A spaceport (also called a launch centre or space launch centre) is a dedicated facility from where rockets and spacecraft are assembled, tested and launched into space. It typically includes launch pads, vehicle assembly buildings, tracking radars, propellant storage and mission control centres.
For static GK sections of SSC, UPSC, Banking and CLAT exams, remember this one-liner:
“India’s operational spaceport is the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR) at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on the east coast, close to the equator — ideal for eastward launches that gain from Earth’s rotation.”
Coastal, near-equatorial locations allow spent rocket stages to fall safely into the sea and give launch vehicles an extra velocity boost, reducing fuel requirements.
Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota – Key Facts
- Location: Sriharikota Island, Tirupati district (earlier Nellore district), Andhra Pradesh — on India’s east coast.
- Full form of SHAR: Sriharikota Range (also expanded as Sriharikota High Altitude Range).
- Naming: Named after Prof. Satish Dhawan in 2002; it was earlier called Sriharikota Launching Range (SRLR).
- Launch pads: Two operational pads — First Launch Pad (FLP) and Second Launch Pad (SLP).
- Operational since: First launch from Sriharikota in 1971 (an RH-125 sounding rocket).
- Key launches: All Chandrayaan missions, the Mars Orbiter Mission (PSLV-C25, 2013), Aditya-L1 (PSLV-C57, 2023), and PSLV-C37’s record 104-satellite flight (2017).
Authoritative updates on launches can be verified at ISRO’s official website and press notes on PIB.
Other Indian Spaceports: Thumba (TERLS), Kulasekarapattinam and Planned Facilities
Thumba (TERLS) — India’s first launching station: The Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS), near Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, was established in 1963 and is India’s first launching station. It was set up for launching sounding rockets to study the equatorial electrojet. The first rocket launched from Thumba was an American Nike-Apache sounding rocket on 21 November 1963. TERLS later became the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), ISRO’s lead centre for launch vehicle development.
Kulasekarapattinam: A new spaceport is being developed at Kulasekarapattinam in Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, primarily for launching SSLV (Small Satellite Launch Vehicle) on southward, direct polar orbits — saving fuel and payload capacity compared with dog-leg launches from Sriharikota.
Exam pointer: Thumba = first launching station (1963); Sriharikota = main/operational spaceport (since 1971); Kulasekarapattinam = upcoming SSLV spaceport.
Static Facts Table: ISRO Launch Vehicles, Missions and Launching Stations
| Item | Key Fact |
|---|---|
| PSLV | Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle; 4 stages; workhorse of ISRO |
| GSLV Mk II | Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle; 3 stages; indigenous cryogenic upper stage |
| LVM3 (GSLV Mk III) | Heaviest Indian rocket; launched Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3 |
| SSLV | Small Satellite Launch Vehicle; 3 stages; low-cost small-satellite launcher; first developmental flight 2022 |
| SDSC SHAR | Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh; named in 2002 |
| TERLS, Thumba | India’s first launching station, 1963, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala |
| Chandrayaan-1 | 2008; PSLV-C11; discovered water molecules on the Moon |
| Chandrayaan-2 | 2019; GSLV Mk III-M1; orbiter still operational |
| Chandrayaan-3 | 2023; LVM3-M4; soft landing on 23 August 2023 near lunar south pole |
PSLV – The Workhorse: Versions, Capacity and Firsts
- First successful flight: PSLV-D2, 1994 (PSLV-D1 in 1993 was a failure).
- Capacity: About 1,750 kg to Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO) / ~3,800 kg to GTO is not correct — PSLV carries ~1,750 kg to SSO and ~1,100 kg to GTO.
- PSLV-C11 (2008): Launched Chandrayaan-1, India’s first deep-space mission.
- PSLV-C37 (15 February 2017): Launched a record 104 satellites in a single flight — a world record at the time.
- Variants: PSLV-G (standard), PSLV-XL (extended strap-ons; used for Chandrayaan-1 and Mangalyaan), PSLV-CA (core-alone), PSLV-DL (two strap-ons), PSLV-QL (four strap-ons) and PSLV-XL with varying strap-on booster counts.
GSLV and LVM3 – Heavy Lifters and Chandrayaan-2/3 Carriers
GSLV Mk II is a three-stage vehicle whose distinguishing feature is the indigenous CE-7.5 cryogenic upper stage, essential for placing heavy satellites into Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). It can lift about 2,250 kg to GTO.
LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-3), earlier called GSLV Mk III, is India’s heaviest launcher. It uses two S200 solid boosters, an L110 liquid core and the C25 cryogenic upper stage. It can lift about 8,000 kg to LEO and ~4,000 kg to GTO. It launched:
- Chandrayaan-2 (GSLV Mk III-M1, 22 July 2019)
- Chandrayaan-3 (LVM3-M4, 14 July 2023)
Why the rename? Since the vehicle is used for launches other than geosynchronous missions (like lunar missions), ISRO renamed GSLV Mk III as LVM3 to reflect its general heavy-lift role.
PSLV vs GSLV: Exam-Ready Comparison Table
| Feature | PSLV | GSLV (Mk II) |
|---|---|---|
| Full form | Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle | Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle |
| Stages | 4 (alternate solid–liquid) | 3 (solid, liquid, cryogenic) |
| Primary orbit | Polar / Sun-Synchronous (SSO) | Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) |
| Capacity | ~1,750 kg to SSO; ~1,100 kg to GTO | ~2,250 kg to GTO |
| Cryogenic stage | Not used | Yes — CE-7.5 indigenous cryogenic upper stage |
| First successful flight | 1994 (PSLV-D2) | 2014 (GSLV-D5 with indigenous cryo stage) |
| Nickname | Workhorse of ISRO | — |
| Famous missions | Chandrayaan-1, Mangalyaan, PSLV-C37 | GSAT series, NVS series, INSAT/GSAT satellites |
Chandrayaan Missions 1, 2 and 3 – Year, Launcher, Launchpad and Outcome
- Chandrayaan-1 (22 October 2008): Launched on PSLV-C11 from the Second Launch Pad, Sriharikota. Orbiter mission; carried the Moon Impact Probe; discovered water molecules on the lunar surface. Mission ended in 2009 after communications were lost.
- Chandrayaan-2 (22 July 2019): Launched on GSLV Mk III-M1. Comprised an Orbiter, Vikram lander and Pragyan rover. The lander lost control during descent and hard-landed; the Orbiter continues to function and return data.
- Chandrayaan-3 (14 July 2023): Launched on LVM3-M4 from the Second Launch Pad, SDSC SHAR. The Vikram lander achieved a historic soft landing near the lunar south pole on 23 August 2023, making India the first country to land in that region and the fourth overall to soft-land on the Moon.
Memory Tricks and One-Liners for Revision
- “SHAR 2002, Dhawan’s name”: Sriharikota renamed after Satish Dhawan in 2002.
- “Thumba ’63, Sriharikota ’71”: First launching station vs main spaceport.
- “P for Polar, G for Geo”: PSLV → polar orbit; GSLV → geostationary orbit.
- “C-11 → CY-1, C-37 → 104”: PSLV-C11 launched Chandrayaan-1; PSLV-C37 launched 104 satellites.
- “LVM3 = Lunar Vehicle Mk 3”: remember LVM3 as the launcher of Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3.
- 23 August: National Space Day — marking the Chandrayaan-3 landing (first observed in 2024).
Previous-Year Exam Questions on ISRO and Space Technology
- (UPSC/SSC pattern) Which rocket launched Chandrayaan-1? — Answer: PSLV-C11
- (SSC CGL pattern) Where is the Satish Dhawan Space Centre located? — Answer: Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh
- (Banking pattern) Chandrayaan-3 soft-landed on the Moon on — Answer: 23 August 2023
- (SSC pattern) India’s first launching station was — Answer: TERLS, Thumba (1963)
- (UPSC pattern) The rocket known as the “Workhorse of ISRO” is — Answer: PSLV
Practice MCQs with Answers
- The Satish Dhawan Space Centre is located in which state?
(a) Kerala (b) Tamil Nadu (c) Andhra Pradesh (d) Odisha
Answer: (c) Andhra Pradesh - SHAR was named after Satish Dhawan in which year?
(a) 1990 (b) 1998 (c) 2002 (d) 2005
Answer: (c) 2002 - Which vehicle launched Chandrayaan-3?
(a) PSLV-C11 (b) GSLV Mk II (c) LVM3-M4 (d) SSLV-D2
Answer: (c) LVM3-M4 - PSLV-C37 created a world record by launching how many satellites?
(a) 101 (b) 104 (c) 108 (d) 96
Answer: (b) 104 - India’s first launching station, set up in 1963, was at —
(a) Sriharikota (b) Balasore (c) Thumba (d) Kulasekarapattinam
Answer: (c) Thumba - Which Indian rocket is called the “Workhorse of ISRO”?
(a) GSLV (b) PSLV (c) LVM3 (d) SSLV
Answer: (b) PSLV - The indigenous cryogenic engine used in GSLV Mk II is —
(a) CE-7.5 (b) Vikas (c) S200 (d) CE-20
Answer: (a) CE-7.5 - The upcoming SSLV spaceport is being built at —
(a) Thumba (b) Sriharikota (c) Kulasekarapattinam (d) Wheeler Island
Answer: (c) Kulasekarapattinam
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the full form of SHAR and where is it located?
SHAR stands for Sriharikota Range (also expanded as Sriharikota High Altitude Range). It is located at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on India’s east coast, and houses the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
Q: Which rocket launched Chandrayaan-3 and from which launch pad?
Chandrayaan-3 was launched on the LVM3-M4 rocket from the Second Launch Pad of SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota, on 14 July 2023.
Q: How many satellites did PSLV-C37 launch in one flight?
PSLV-C37 launched 104 satellites in a single flight on 15 February 2017 — a world record at the time.
Q: Is Thumba or Sriharikota India’s first launching station?
Thumba (TERLS, set up in 1963, near Thiruvananthapuram) was India’s first launching station. Sriharikota became the main spaceport later, with launches beginning in 1971.
Q: Which Indian rocket is called the ‘Workhorse of ISRO’?
The PSLV, owing to its exceptional reliability and versatility across polar, SSO, GTO and LEO missions over three decades.
For official launch updates, always cross-check with isro.gov.in and pib.gov.in.
Related reading
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Quick revision
- Location: Sriharikota Island, Tirupati district (earlier Nellore district), Andhra Pradesh — on India’s east coast.
- Full form of SHAR: Sriharikota Range (also expanded as Sriharikota High Altitude Range).
- Naming: Named after Prof. Satish Dhawan in 2002; it was earlier called Sriharikota Launching Range (SRLR).
- Launch pads: Two operational pads — First Launch Pad (FLP) and Second Launch Pad (SLP).
- Operational since: First launch from Sriharikota in 1971 (an RH-125 sounding rocket).
- Key launches: All Chandrayaan missions, the Mars Orbiter Mission (PSLV-C25, 2013), Aditya-L1 (PSLV-C57, 2023), and PSLV-C37’s record 104-satellite flight (2017).
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