The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has set itself an ambitious to-do list of making and launching around 65 satellites for a slew of uses. They are planned to be realised over the period from 2017 to 2021, according to a top official.
This post-12th Five-Year Plan pace is stupendous as the number of satellites made in India over the last 40-odd years hit a century only a few days ago.
The last three, including two small ones, were rolled out of its Bengaluru centre in late December and are slated to be launched this month.
Jump in output
M. Annadurai, Director of ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), where spacecraft are assembled, told The Hindu that the new goal puts ISAC’s annual asking rate at around 18 satellites a year: ISAC would now need to come out with three satellites every two months.
Since ISAC was set up in 1972 and until a few years ago, this used to be its average yearly output.
Dr. Annadurai said ISAC’s 45-year tally peaked in 2017 with a record 12 spacecraft. “We rolled out Cartosat-2F, Microsat and INS-1C on December 20 [and shipped them out to Sriharikota for launch.] With these three satellites, we have made the maiden century of rolling out spacecraft from this centre,” he said in a New Year’s Day address to ISAC employees. “We can be counted in the league of Tendulkars and Virat Kohlis,” he said.
ISAC’s spacecraft are meant for communication, navigation and Earth observation (EO), for both general and strategic purposes, while new emerging applications are getting added. In the four-year list, ISAC counts 26 for communication, 28 for EO and seven for navigation besides the scientific missions Aditya-L1 and XPoSat, apart from a few small experimental satellites.
Awaiting approval
A few proposals made during 2017 are awaiting approval. A satellite launch costs ₹200-₹300 crore depending on its size and the level of technology.
Dr. Annadurai said the centre was ready to rise to the challenge; its staff was routinely working almost 24/7. Last year, ISAC started to outsource some of the large and critical activities of satellite assembly and testing to Indian industry. The second such project for the ninth navigation satellite, IRNSS-1I, is under way at an ISAC campus.
He said ISRO expected industry to give them the additional six satellites a year beyond the 12 that they would build.
