Recent Activity
Continued Rohini RH-200/300/560 sounding rocket campaigns for IMD weather research; VSSC engine test-stand activity supports LVM3/Gaganyaan development at adjacent facility.
Investor Brief
Heritage site — the rocket-research seed from which ISRO grew. Today's role is narrow but irreplaceable: India's primary site for equatorial-electrojet, mesosphere, and ionosphere sounding-rocket campaigns. Co-located with VSSC, India's lead propulsion-and-systems engineering center.
Ownership
Parent Entity
Regulatory Regime
Anchor Tenants
Latitude Advantage
Launch Azimuth Range
Country
🇮🇳India
Region
Asia
Established
1,963
Launches / Year
510
Years Active
63
Strategic Position
8.5372° N, 76.8653° E
Azimuth: Suborbital only — vertical and near-vertical sounding rocket profiles
8.54°N — sits directly under the magnetic equator (dip equator). Strategically chosen for ionospheric/electrojet research; no orbital azimuth role.
Future Milestones
- 2026
Continued sounding-rocket campaigns supporting Gaganyaan environment characterization
About
Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) is the birthplace of the Indian space program and one of the most historically significant launch sites in Asia. India's first sounding rocket was launched from here on November 21, 1963. Located near the magnetic equator, it remains an active suborbital research facility and houses the ISRO Space Museum.
Key Features
Birthplace of the Indian space program — first rocket launched in 1963
Located near the magnetic equator, ideal for equatorial atmospheric studies
Active suborbital sounding rocket launch facility
Houses the ISRO Space Museum and historic St. Mary Magdalene Church (first assembly building)
Adjacent to Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre — ISRO's lead center for rocket development
Rockets That Launch Here
Companies Operating Here
Orbit Types
Notable Launches
Nike-Apache (1963) — India's first sounding rocket launch
Rohini RH-75 (1967) — First Indian-made sounding rocket
Hundreds of sounding rockets for atmospheric and meteorological research
Centaure and Petrel international sounding rocket campaigns
Continued suborbital launches for ISRO research programs