It is transition time at the Department of Space’s business entity Antrix Corporation Ltd, which awaits the formal naming of its new chief.
Early this month, S. Rakesh, Director of the ISRO Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri, took additional charge of it. Understandably, a formal government approval is due.
Mr. Rakesh has been on the 14-member board of Antrix since October 2014. He succeeds V.S. Hegde, its first Chairman & Managing Director since the entity was separated from parent ISRO five years ago, and who superannuated on May 31.
These are challenging times for Indian space commerce, which is small in a highly competitive global context, say industry watchers. Operators of small and tiny spacecraft of up to 1,500 kg who want to put them near space look to the Indian PSLV launcher as a convenient option.
It has already done 50-odd such contracts and cumulatively earned Rs. 4,400 crore from these launches until July 2014, according to data given out earlier by the government.
20 launch ordersAntrix, which had a turnover of Rs. 1860 crore for the financial year 2014-15, has launch orders for another 20 spacecraft. Some of these are scheduled to be flown on June 20 in a record, 22-satellites-in-one-launch feat.
However, the space agency has said it is trying to make enough launchers for its own need — at the rate of doing one PSLV launch a month.
This demand is almost triple the present rate.
Just when U.S. satellites overcame some aspects of export control and started coming to the PSLV for a launch, U.S. body COMSTAC (Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee) early this year advised its government to restrain the use of Indian launchers for US satellites.
New, innovative launches that are coming up also are a challenge.
