Satish Dhawan Space Centre primarily houses two launchpads called the First Launch Pad (FLP) and the Second Launch Pad (SLP).

The PSLV can lift about three times more mass to space at once than Skyroot’s planned Vikram-II upgrade.

The payloads lost in the January 12 PSLV failure included a national hyperspectral satellite, seven private Indian satellites, five Brazilian satellites, one UK satellite, one Nepalese satellite, and one European satellite named KID.

The First Launch Pad cannot support GSLV Mk II or LVM3 launches because the cryogenic upper stages of those vehicles require increased preparatory infrastructure that predates the FLP.

The First Launch Pad was built in the early 1990s for ISRO to launch the PSLV and also supports launches of the smaller SSLV rocket.

The European satellite KID briefly survived the PSLV failure and transmitted some information after experiencing loads up to 30 g.

ISRO plans a dedicated SSLV launchpad optimized for polar orbits, with the first orbital launch from that pad expected in 2028 after slipping from an earlier 2025 target.

The January 12 failure was the PSLV’s second consecutive failure following an earlier PSLV failure in May 2025.

SSLV and Vikram-class rockets are planned to use the First Launch Pad for launches.

The PSLV and LVM3 both use the liquid Vikas engine, creating a technological link in propulsion between the two vehicles.

The Second Launch Pad was built in 2005 primarily to launch the heavier GSLV Mk II and LVM3 rockets and can host PSLV launches less frequently.

ISRO is pursuing a technology transfer contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to productionize the SSLV.

Skyroot’s Vikram-I rocket has a lift capacity roughly six to seven times lower than the PSLV for equivalent orbits.

ISRO released a cause-of-anomaly and recommendations report following the SSLV inaugural-flight failure in 2022 that involved a failure analysis committee.

ISRO has not released a failure analysis report detailing key findings and corrective measures for the May 2025 PSLV failure as of the present account.

The third launch pad will be capable of supporting launches of the GSLV Mk II even though ISRO plans to phase out the GSLV Mk II in favor of the LVM3.

Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota is India’s only active orbital spaceport and is located at approximately 13.7°N latitude.

India’s government approved a third launch pad (TLP) at Sriharikota for $460 million to support ISRO’s upcoming heavy-lift NGLV rocket starting next decade.

Agnikul’s planned launch vehicles have even smaller lift capacity than Skyroot’s Vikram-I.

Vikram-I was designed by many former ISRO engineers who were associated with the PSLV or SSLV and may be using many common contractors.

The SSLV’s second-stage motor is derived from the PSLV’s third-stage motor.

Sixteen spacecraft were lost to air and sea in the January 12 PSLV failure.

The LVM3 has completed eight orbital flights with no failures to date.

The third launch pad will serve as a secondary pad for robotic LVM3 launches and as a standby for human spaceflight contingencies.

The January 12 PSLV launch failed due to anomalous performance of the rocket’s third stage that resulted in visible tumbling on mission control telemetry and the livestream.

The January 12 flight was the 64th flight of the PSLV launch vehicle.

The PSLV and the GSLV Mk II share the S139 solid rocket booster as their core stage.

Airbus Defence and Space built the original Aeolus mission and is considered a likely prime contractor for Aeolus-2 based on that prior work.

The Aeolus-2 prime contractor has been selected, the clarification phase has concluded, and work is planned to start in the first quarter of 2026.

During the 28 January meeting the ESA approved an Authorization to Proceed of €70 million to allow the selected prime contractor to begin Phase B2 (advanced preliminary design and system definition) for Aeolus-2.

The Aeolus-2 mission is being developed under Eumetsat’s European Polar System program in partnership with the ESA to provide high-resolution wind measurements for weather forecasting.

A Doppler lidar uses the Doppler effect on scattered laser light to measure the velocity and direction of moving particles or the relative velocity of objects.

The ESA is preparing to close an initial award of €70 million to begin the next development phase of Aeolus-2.

The name Aeolus-2 derives from Aeolus, the Greek god of the wind.

Project Bromo is a planned merger combining the space businesses of Airbus, Thales, and Leonardo.

Aeolus-2 is the planned operational successor to the original Aeolus mission.

The two Aeolus-2 satellites are expected to provide more than ten years of continuous operations together.

Each Aeolus-2 satellite platform will be designed for a life of between 5.5 and 7 years.

Aeolus’s Doppler lidar was the first spaceborne instrument capable of measuring global wind profiles from the lower atmosphere up to about 40 kilometers in altitude.

The ESA Industrial Policy Committee met in Paris on 28 January and approved the next development phase for Aeolus-2.

The European Space Agency (ESA) approved the selection of the prime contractor for the Aeolus-2 meteorological satellite.

The original Aeolus mission was built by Airbus Defence and Space and was deorbited in early 2023.

The first Aeolus-2 satellite, with a mass of 2.5 tonnes, is scheduled for launch in 2034.

Eumetsat plans Aeolus-2 to consist of two satellites launched sequentially, each carrying a Doppler lidar.

The ESA could require assurances that Aeolus-2 development will not be hindered by reorganization following the planned merger of aerospace businesses.

Planned CTA++ developments include research on silicon sensors with potential technology transfer to biomedical sectors and advanced environmental and atmospheric monitoring.

ASTRASud aims to upgrade INAF radiotelescopes and telescopes located in southern Italy to support space surveillance and multimessenger astronomy research.

CTAO is the largest and most powerful gamma-ray observatory in the world currently under construction.

ASTRASud plans to upgrade receivers at the Sardinia Radio Telescope in Sardinia and the Noto radiotelescope in Sicily for high- and low-frequency observations.

The STILEMI program is funded with €18,729,994.22 and is entirely financed by INAF.