Satish Dhawan Space Centre
13.7280.23Koordinaten: 13 ° 43 ' 12 " N, 80 ° 13' 48" E
The Satish Dhawan Space Centre ( SHAR ) is a rocket launch site of the Indian space agency ISRO. It lies on the southeast coast of India in the state of Andhra Pradesh, about 80 kilometers north of Chennai.
Designations
Originally, the launch site Sriharikota Sriharikota Launching Range or Range was named after the island of Sriharikota, on which the site is located. It received its present name on 5 September 2002 after the death of ISRO chairman Satish Dhawan. The abbreviation was, however, always SHAR (, Sriharikota High Altitude Range ' ).
History
India possessed with Thumba a rocket launch site, which was used from 1963 for sounding rockets. Due to its location between the Arabian Sea and Ceylon launches of satellites, however, were not possible, so that another launch site had to be built.
In 1969 was selected for a rocket launch site noted in the terrain on the island of Sriharikota. For the location of the near talked to the equator and large areas of water to the east, where satellite launches take place in most cases. In addition, the terrain was easy to reach, it was near the main road from Chennai (then Madras) to Kolkata (then Calcutta ). Members of the Yanadi - people, the semi-nomadic living near the site were relocated from 1970.
The first launch from Sriharikota took place on 9 October 1971, a suborbital flight of the sounding rocket RH -125. The first orbital launch took place on 10 August 1979, with the satellite Rohini 1A, which, however, did not reach the intended orbit.
On July 18, 1980 took off from Sriharikota an SLV rocket with the satellite Rohini 1B. Thus India became the seventh nation, which brought its own satellites with a missile in its own orbit.
On 23 February 2004, an explosion was transported as HTPB propellant for solid rocket of a building to another occurred. Six people were killed and three others who were staying at the entrance of the building, seriously injured. The building was totally destroyed by the explosion and subsequent fire.
On 25 December 2010 broke a GSLV rocket after a path deviation with the satellite GSAT -5P on board shortly after takeoff.
Facilities
On the 145 -square-mile test site are a factory for solid fuel, test stands for rocket engines, launch ramps, telemetry and remote control facilities and equipment for the tracking of satellites.
From Satish Dhawan Space Centre following missiles can be launched:
- RH- altitude research rocket: since 1971
- SLV: four starts from 1979 to 1983
- ASLV: four starts 1987-1994
- PSLV: since 1993, among other uses for the moon, Chandrayaan -1
- GSLV: since 2001, among other uses for the Insat satellites
Starters for manned missions from 2015 are being planned.