🇮🇳Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station
Thumba, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, India
Country
🇮🇳 India
Region
Asia
Established
1963
Launches / Year
5-10
Coordinates
8.5372° N, 76.8653° E
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