Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) is located in Sriharikota, a spindle-shaped barrier island, in Tirupati district, on the east coast of Andhra Pradesh.

Prior to its acquisition for ISRO by the Government of India, it was a firewood plantation of Eucalyptus and Casuarina trees.

This island is affected by both south-westerly and north-easterly monsoons, but heavy rains come only in October and November.

Together with the northerly Balasore Rocket Launching Station, the facilities are operated under the ISRO Range Complex (IREX) headquartered at SHAR.

The first test launch of the complete SLV-3 rocket occurred in August 1979 but it was only partially successful following a malfunction in the second-stage guidance system.

It has a 3,450 tonne,[11] 76.5 m high Mobile Service Tower (MST) which provides the SP-3 payload clean room.

GSLV, with its own cryogenic upper stage, has enabled the launch of communications satellites of the class up to 2 tonnes.

The site also has a Telemetry, Tracking, Range Instrumentation, & Control centre for Range Operation (RO), Liquid Propellant Storage and Servicing Facilities (LSSF), the Management Service Group and Sriharikota Common Facilities.

It has a 3,450 tonne, 76.5 m high Mobile Service Tower (MST) which provides the SP-3 payload clean room.

The Vehicle Assembly & Launching Facility (VALF), Solid Motor Preparation & Environmental Testing Facility (SMP&ETF) tests and qualifies different types of solid motor for launch vehicles.

The control centre at SHAR houses computers and data processing, closed circuit television, real-time tracking systems and meteorological observation equipment.

It is linked to eight radars located at Sriharikota and the five stations of ISRO's Telemetry, Tracking & Command Network (ISTRAC).

[citation needed] The propellant production plant produces composite solid propellant for rocket motors of ISRO using ammonium perchlorate (oxidiser), fine aluminium powder (fuel) and hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene (binder).

Rocket motors and their subsystems have to be rigorously tested and evaluated on ground before they are declared flight worthy.

A new plant (SPP) is set up to process heavier class boosters with 200 tonnes of Solid propellant.

The gallery faces the two launchpads and can accommodate 5,000 people giving the general public the opportunity to witness rocket launches.

[19] The first launch from this pad occurred on 10 August 1979, and was that of the first experimental flight of SLV-3 carrying the Rohini Technology Payload satellite.

The maiden flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle also occurred from this pad on 7 August 2022.

The First Launch Pad is undergoing major expansion with PIF (PSLV Integration Facilities) project worth ₹475 crore (US$54 million).

MECON's sub-contractors for this project including Inox India, HEC, Tata Growth, Goderej Boyce, Simplex, Nagarjuna Construction, Steelage, etc.

[40] Both the facilities have support of ISRO and Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe).

[48][49] Second Vehicle Assembly Building (SVAB) facility was established in 2019 and currently serves Second Launch Pad.

[50] In 2018, after the announcement of the Gaganyaan project under the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme, it was thought a new launch pad might be needed.

[56] On 8 October 2024, India Today reported that the proposal has been present in front of the space cabinet for final budget approval.

It is proposed to have NGLV horizontally integrated, requiring a different set of changes as compared to the other launch pads.The new facility will also accommodate more liquid engine boosters, necessitating a redesigned jet deflector system.It is planned for the third launch pad to be used for entire-stage testing, streamlining test operations for ISRO.