India lines up three PSLV launches this year
Indian Space Research Organisation is lining up three PSLV launches from Sriharikota spaceport by October this year, its Chairman K Radhakrishnan said today.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is lining up three PSLV launches from Sriharikota spaceport by October this year, its Chairman K Radhakrishnan said today.
He said PSLV-C17 would launch GSAT-12, equipped with 12 extended C-band transponders, in July.PSLV-C18 and PSLV-C19 would launch Megha-tropiques, an Indo-French joint mission, and microwave remote-sensing satellite, RISAT-1, with synthetic aperture radar during September-October this year.ISRO officials said India''s GSAT-8 satellite is scheduled to be launched by European space consortium Arianespace''s Ariane-5 rocket at 0207 hours (IST) on May 20 from French Guiana.Radhakrishnan said GSAT-8, one of the heaviest satellites built by ISRO, weighs 3100 kg at lift-off and is equipped with 24 Ku-band transponders which would augment direct-to-home services.Meanwhile, ISRO officials said the Failure Analysis Committee, headed by former ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair, set up by ISRO following the failure of the GSLV-F06 mission, and the Programme Review and Strategy Committee, chaired by K Kasturirangan, to look into the future of the GSLV programme, have submitted their reports.Reports of these committees are currently being reviewed by eminent national experts, including Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, Prof. M G K Menon, Prof. Yash Pal, Prof. U R Rao, Dr. R Chidambaram and Prof. R Narasimha, officials said.Radhakrishnan said the Space Commission at its meeting scheduled on May 24 would look at the reviews.He refused to give a time-line for India''s ambitious human space flight programme, saying: "Now, with the state of GSLV (proposed to be used for this mission), first priority is to make the GSLV a reliable vehicle".
Director of ISRO Satellite Centre, T K Alex, echoed Radhakrishnan''s position, saying there are "issues" regarding GSLV and ISRO is "concerned about" GSLV.The GSLV-F06, with GSAT-5P on board, failed on December 25 last year in a set-back to ISRO. On the controversial Antrix-Devas deal -- Antrix is the commercial arm of ISRO --, Radhakrishnan reiterated that the Government has annulled the contract. Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
