Tilla Satellite Launch Centre, primary known as Tilla Range, is a

spaceport A spaceport or cosmodrome is a site for launching or receiving spacecraft, by analogy to a seaport for ships or an airport for aircraft. The word ''spaceport'', and even more so ''cosmodrome'', has traditionally been used for sites capable ...

west of

Jhelum Jhelum (Punjabi and ur, ) is a city on the east bank of the Jhelum River, which is located in the district of Jhelum in the north of Punjab province, Pakistan. It is the 44th largest city of Pakistan by population. Jhelum is known for pr ...

city in

Punjab (Pakistan) Punjab (; , ) is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in Geography of Pakistan, central-eastern region of the country, Punjab is the second-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the Demographi ...

. The facility is also known as Mashhood Test Firing Range (MTFR). The spaceport has been used as a launch site for the

Hatf The Hatf I ( ur, حتف; official codename: Hatf–I) is a tactical battlefield range ballistic missile jointly designed and developed by the Space Research Commission and the Kahuta Research Laboratories (KRL) in 1980s. After its successful t ...

and Ghauri

ballistic missile A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are guided only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles stay within ...

s under development by the

Khan Research Laboratories The Dr. A. Q. Khan Research Laboratories, ( ur, ) or KRL for short, is a federally funded, multi-program national research institute and national laboratory site primarily dedicated to uranium enrichment, supercomputing and fluid mechanics. It ...

Location

Tilla is an eastward continuation of the

Salt Range The Salt Range ( pnb, ) is a mountain range in the north of Punjab province of Pakistan, deriving its name from its extensive deposits of rock salt. The range extends along the south of the Potohar Plateau and the north of the Jhelum River. Th ...

Jhelum District Jhelum District (Urdu and pnb, ), is partially in Pothohar Plateau, and partially in Punjab Plain of the Punjab province of Pakistan. Jhelum is one of the oldest districts of Punjab. It was established on 23 March 1849. According to the 1998 ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, 3,242 feet above the sea. From the Bunha torrent the range rises rapidly to the culminating peak of

Tilla Jogian Tilla Jogian (Punjabi and ur, ) is an abandoned Hindu temple and monastic complex located on the summit of the ''Tilla Jogian'' mountain in the Salt Range of Pakistan's Punjab province. The complex was the most important centre for Hindu '' j ...

and thence sinks as rapidly, but a series of low parallel ridges runs out across the valley of the Kahan. During

British Rule The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

, the hill was sometimes used as a summer resort by officers of Jhelum District. A famous monastery of Jogi

fakir Fakir ( ar, فقیر, translit=faḳīr or ''faqīr'') is an Islamic term traditionally used for Sufi Muslim ascetics who renounce their worldly possessions and dedicate their lives to the worship of God. They do not necessarily renounce ...

s is situated here.

History

The exact timing of construction of Tilla Satellite Launch Centre is unknown and unclear. According to science sources from Pakistan, it is believed that the

was built and indigenously constructed by

SUPARCO The Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) ( ur, ) is the :Pakistan federal departments and agencies, executive and List of government space agencies, national space agency of Pakistan. It is headquartered at the capital city ...

sometime in 1989. The space facility is based on the model of Chinese space and missile sites, notably

Base 603 Guangde Rocket Launch Site () also known as Base 603 (603基地) is a suborbital launch site that was operated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences located in Shijiedu (), Shijie Town (), Guangde County, Xuancheng Prefecture, Anhui province on th ...

and Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre. TSLC is a defence launch facility (

). The facility has been used by

Kahuta Research Laboratories The Dr. A. Q. Khan Research Laboratories, ( ur, ) or KRL for short, is a federally funded, multi-program national research institute and national laboratory site primarily dedicated to uranium enrichment, supercomputing and fluid mechanics. It ...

(KRL),

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) (Urdu: ) is a federally funded independent governmental agency, concerned with research and development of nuclear power, promotion of nuclear science, energy conservation and the peaceful usage of nuc ...

(PAEC),

Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission The Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) ( ur, ) is the :Pakistan federal departments and agencies, executive and List of government space agencies, national space agency of Pakistan. It is headquartered at the capital city ...

(SUPARCO), and

China National Space Administration China National Space Administration (CNSA; ) is the government agency of the People's Republic of China that is responsible for civil space administration and international space cooperation, including organizing or leading foreign exchanges ...

(CNSA). The spaceport is usually used to launch vehicles into lower and medium orbits with large orbital inclination angles, as well as testing medium to long-range missiles. Its facilities are state of the art and provide support to every phase of a satellite launch campaign. The site includes the Technical Centre, high-powered radar system, laser-powered radar and telecommunication complex, the Launch Complex, the Launch Control Centre, the Mission Command and Control Centre, several launch pads, and various other logistical support systems. The spaceport was upgraded by

in 1998. The spaceport consists of a supercomputer, missile control system, airborne warning, satellite control room, laser-satellite control system, aerospace control system, electrical communication and information office. The site is also defended by

Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...

fighter aircraft to protect the facility and its scientists from any airborne threat.

References

{{Use Pakistani English, date=January 2014 Jhelum District Space programme of Pakistan Spaceports Rocket launch sites SUPARCO facilities Pakistan federal departments and agencies