ISRO will place a US communication satellite in orbit next month using its LVM3 rocket on a commercial arrangement. Chairman V Narayanan confirmed the plan during the annual event at the Indian Railways Institute of Signal Engineering and Telecommunications in Hyderabad.
He said the launch date is still being finalised but the mission will take place next month. The satellite belongs to an American customer and the launch is being carried out as a commercial service rather than a collaboration between the two countries.
Strong pipeline of projects
Narayanan said the agency is currently managing a wide range of new missions under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At the moment, fifty seven satellites are active in orbit. ISRO expects this number to triple within the next three years to meet the country’s rising demand for communication, navigation, and remote sensing services.
India’s long term space roadmap
He noted that India’s space programme, which began with extremely modest tools, is advancing rapidly. By 2040, he expects India to be on the same level as any leading spacefaring nation in launches, satellite capability, communication systems, applications, and overall mission capacity.
Industry partnership expanding
Narayanan also highlighted how Indian industry is becoming more involved in the space sector. He pointed to recent developments such as private production of launch vehicles, including the first industry built PSLV expected to fly with Oceansat early next year.
