 Launch of RH-300 Mk2 from TERLS | |
 | |
| Location | Thumba, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 8°32′34″N 76°51′32″E / 8.54278°N 76.85889°E |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
| Short name | TERLS |
| Established | 21 November 1963 |
| Operator | ISRO |
Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) is an Indian rocket launching site established on 21 November 1963.[1][2] Operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), it is located in Thumba, Thiruvananthapuram, which is near the southwestern tip of mainland India, very close to Earth's magnetic equator. It is currently used by ISRO for launching sounding rockets.[1]
The first rockets were assembled in the former St Louis High School, which now houses a space museum.[3] The local Bishop of Trivandrum, Rev. Peter Bernard Periera, along with Vincent Victor Dereere (a Belgian) and district collector Madhavan Nair were instrumental in acquiring a large parcel of land measuring 600 acres from coastal community.[4] Periera had given away the prayer hall and bishop's room in the local church. Minister of State for External Affairs, Lakshmi N. Menon helped to smooth bureaucratic hurdles facing the project in Delhi.[5] H. G. S. Murthy was appointed as the first Director of Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station.[6]
Rockets launched from the site include RH-300, M-100, Nike Apache, Arcas, Boosted Arcas, Skua 1, Centaure, Centaure 2A, Centaure 2B, Nike Tomahawk, Dragon 1, Judi-Dart, Boosted Arcas 2, Petrel 1, RH-75, Skua 2, Sandhawk Tomahawk, Menaka II, RH-125, M-100B, M-100A, RH-200 and RH-300 Mk II.[2]
The site has five launchpads:
- Pad 1 at 8°32′00″N 76°52′02″E / 8.533440511878172°N 76.86728897138364°E, sounding rockets[7]
- Pad 2 at 8°31′58″N 76°52′05″E / 8.53268929608746°N 76.86794175657239°E, sounding rockets[8]
- Pad 3 at 8°31′49″N 76°52′11″E / 8.530164446832044°N 76.86979707233245°E, sounding rockets[9]
- Pad 4 at 8°31′46″N 76°52′15″E / 8.529557306065989°N 76.87081759512913°E, sounding rockets[10]
- Pad 5 at 8°31′53″N 76°52′08″E / 8.531419615302084°N 76.86902030573928°E, RH-300 launch complex, active after 1993[11]
- ^ a b "Sounding Rockets - ISRO". www.isro.gov.in. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- ^ a b Wade, Mark (2019). "Thumba". astronautix.com. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ Pal, Sanchari (8 November 2016). "Transported on a Bicycle, Launched from a Church: The Amazing Story of India's First Rocket Launch". The Better India. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ Joseph, Verghese (23 July 2019). "When ISRO Aimed For the Heavens, a Tiny Church in Kerala Said Amen!". Indian Catholic Matters. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
- ^ "Remembering the guiding light". Deccan Chronicle. 30 November 2019. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
- ^ Pawar, Ashwini (29 July 2015). "I'm proud that I recommended him for ISRO: EV Chitnis". Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- ^ Wade, Mark (2019). "Thumba Pad 1". astronautix.com. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ Wade, Mark (2019). "Thumba Pad 2". astronautix.com. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ Wade, Mark (2019). "Thumba Pad 3". astronautix.com. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ Wade, Mark (2019). "Thumba Pad 4". astronautix.com. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ Wade, Mark (2019). "Thumba Pad 5". astronautix.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2023.