Kulasekarapattinam nervous about ISRO’s rocket launch station project

Subject: Geography

Section: Economic geography

Context:

The Indian space agency, ISRO, is all set to begin work on building the ₹950-crore greenfield rocket launch facility near the township of Kulasekarapattinam, 50 km south of Tuticorin, with the land acquisition process being almost complete.

Kulasekarapattinam (Thoothukudi):

Udangudi thermal power project of the Tamil Nadu government at Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu.
Kulasekarapattinam is famous for its Mutharamman temple.
The famous Murugan temple at Tiruchendur is14 km away.

Why is Kulasekarapattinam being chosen as a launching site by ISRO?

Proximity to the seashore makes Thoothukudi ideal for “straight southward” launches. From Sriharikota, such southward-bound launches are not possible as the rockets have to fly around Sri Lanka.
When rockets are launched from kulasekarapattinam, the Dogleg maneuver will not be required, as there is no landmass along the flightpath in the southward direction.
- Dogleg maneuver is a sharp turn that causes a rocket to deviate from a straight flight path.
- This maneuver requires more fuel in the rocket which eats into the payload capacity of the launcher.
Nearness to the equator: Like the Sriharikota spaceport in the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Thoothukudi was selected as a spaceport due to its nearness to the equator. A rocket launch site should be on the east coast and near the equator.
Logistical ease: ISRO has its Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) at Mahendragiri in Tirunelveli district, where it assembles the second and fourth-stage engines for the PSLV. Instead of transporting the second and fourth stages to Sriharikota from Mahendragiri, it would be easier to shift them to the launch pad if it is built in Kulasekarapattinam, which is around 100 km away.

Concerns of the inhabitants of Kulasekarapattinam: