New Delhi:  India is ready to take a new leap in the field of space. Meanwhile, to give new impetus to the space mission, the central government has approved the establishment of a third launch site in Sriharikota. This approval has been given at a time when work is going on on the construction of a space station, manned 'Gaganyaan' mission and a plan to send astronauts to the moon. 

Cost of Rs 3,985 crore 

In fact, India is eyeing a bigger share in the global space economy and in such a situation, the third launch site to be built at Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota will be able to put spacecraft weighing 30,000 tonnes into low Earth orbit as against the existing capacity of 8,000 tonnes. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday approved the establishment of a third launch site at a cost of Rs 3,985 crore, which is targeted to be set up within a period of four years. 

ISRO is developing NGLV

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is also developing a Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) which will be 91 metres tall, even higher than the 72-metre-high Qutub Minar. The launch site will be built with maximum industry participation, making full use of ISRO's experience in setting up previous launch sites and maximally sharing existing launch complex facilities. 

The goal is to establish a four year

The third launch site is targeted to be established within a period of four years, the statement said. The project will boost the Indian space ecosystem by strengthening the national capability to launch higher launch frequencies and human space flight and space exploration missions. As of today, Indian space transportation systems are completely dependent on the first and second launch sites. 

The first launch site was built 30 years ago

The first launch site was built 30 years ago for PSLV missions and also provides launch support for Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV). The second launch site was set up primarily for GSLV and LVM3 and also serves as an alternative to PSLV. The second launch site, operational for twenty years, has enhanced launch capability towards enabling national missions including Chandrayaan-3 mission as well as some commercial missions of PSLV/LVM3.