---
title: "TERLS: Thumba Rocket Launching Station | Model Diplomat"
description: "TERLS is India's first rocket launch site, opened in 1963 near the magnetic equator and placed under UN sponsorship in 1968 — key for UPSC GS3 space prep."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/thumba-equatorial-rocket-launching-station"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station is an Indian sounding-rocket facility near Thiruvananthapuram, inaugurated in 1963 and dedicated to United Nations international use in 1968.
- Why was Thumba chosen as India's first rocket launch site?
- What is the difference between TERLS and the Sriharikota launch site?
- What is the significance of TERLS being dedicated to the United Nations?
- How does TERLS relate to ISRO and VSSC?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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## Timeline

1. 21 November 1963

   The first launch, a two-stage American Nike-Apache sounding rocket, lifted off on , marking the inaugural event of Indian rocketry and the practical beginnin…

2. 2 February 1968

   On , the station was formally dedicated to the United Nations as an internationally sponsored facility open to all member states for scientific research, fol…

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Example

On 21 November 1963, INCOSPAR launched a Nike-Apache sounding rocket from Thumba, the first rocket flight in India and the inaugural event of the country's space programme.

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