anilsk01
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Bangalore, July 9:
For the second time in 14 years, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is scouting to hire an entire communications satellite to overcome the capacity crunch. A foreign satellite may be hired for a year or two and a decision is likely in the next few weeks, ISRO's Chairman, Dr K. Radhakrishnan, said on Saturday. ISRO also plans to lease some more transponders on foreign satellites in addition to the 86 it already has leased, he said.
Way back in 1997, it had leased Arabsat-1C (renamed Insat-2DT) after Insat-2D failed in orbit. ISRO's commercial arm Antrix recently invited international bids for capacity in C, extended C and Ku band for at least 12 transponders.
‘large demand'
“There is a large demand to be filled. GSat-12 [the satellite being launched on July 15] is one such and GSat-10 is lined up for March-April 2012. This is not sufficient. We are following two or three routes [to meet the demand],” he said, as he announced the new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Antrix and the July 15 GSat-12 launch.
“We are trying to get a foreign satellite moved into our slot till our satellites are up. The process is on and [a decision may] take a few weeks,” he said. The lease cost is paid by the user.
By the 12th Plan or 2012, ISRO had aimed to provide 500 transponders for the growing set of domestic consumers. The shortfall arose after the agency lost two satellites at launch, while another went cripple — all in 2010. The shortfall can be mitigated in two/three years, he said.
Antrix gets new chief
ISRO began the first shot at corporatising Antrix Corporation by naming a full-fledged Chairman and Managing Director for its commercial arm.
Dr V.S. Hegde, Scientific Secretary, ISRO, becomes the first official to hold the post and the first non-ISRO Chairman to head Antrix. He will also reconstitute the 10-member board in a month.
SOURCE
For the second time in 14 years, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is scouting to hire an entire communications satellite to overcome the capacity crunch. A foreign satellite may be hired for a year or two and a decision is likely in the next few weeks, ISRO's Chairman, Dr K. Radhakrishnan, said on Saturday. ISRO also plans to lease some more transponders on foreign satellites in addition to the 86 it already has leased, he said.
Way back in 1997, it had leased Arabsat-1C (renamed Insat-2DT) after Insat-2D failed in orbit. ISRO's commercial arm Antrix recently invited international bids for capacity in C, extended C and Ku band for at least 12 transponders.
‘large demand'
“There is a large demand to be filled. GSat-12 [the satellite being launched on July 15] is one such and GSat-10 is lined up for March-April 2012. This is not sufficient. We are following two or three routes [to meet the demand],” he said, as he announced the new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Antrix and the July 15 GSat-12 launch.
“We are trying to get a foreign satellite moved into our slot till our satellites are up. The process is on and [a decision may] take a few weeks,” he said. The lease cost is paid by the user.
By the 12th Plan or 2012, ISRO had aimed to provide 500 transponders for the growing set of domestic consumers. The shortfall arose after the agency lost two satellites at launch, while another went cripple — all in 2010. The shortfall can be mitigated in two/three years, he said.
Antrix gets new chief
ISRO began the first shot at corporatising Antrix Corporation by naming a full-fledged Chairman and Managing Director for its commercial arm.
Dr V.S. Hegde, Scientific Secretary, ISRO, becomes the first official to hold the post and the first non-ISRO Chairman to head Antrix. He will also reconstitute the 10-member board in a month.
SOURCE
