Indian Space Capabilities

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Mission Profile of ISRO

 

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Delayed Indo-Israeli TAUVEX project

to be launched with GSAT-4 mission in 2009

TAUVEX: UV Astronomy Mission

 

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ISRO implements ESRI software for image processing​

May 06, 2009

• ArcGIS Server and Its Image Extension Will Be Used throughout the Indian Government to Integrate Data with New-Generation Images

Redlands, California—May 6, 2009—The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has reached an agreement with NIIT GIS Limited (ESRI India), ESRI's distributor in India, to equip its five Regional Remote Sensing Service Centres (RRSSCs) with ArcGIS Server and the Image extension. The centers in Jodhpur, Dehradun, Kharagpur, Nagpur, and Bangalore use Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite and other imagery to create thematic maps and geographic information system (GIS) databases that provide valuable societal applications to various government agencies throughout India.

With India's success in remote-sensing technology through the IRS constellation, several new imagery-based and GIS-centric projects of national relevance are gaining visibility and importance. ISRO is presently implementing major programs related to natural resources, disaster management, environmental oversight, and groundwater and watershed management.

The remote-sensing centers are establishing a distributed architecture of server-based solutions designed to be the foundation for publishing, hosting, and serving images and data. Over time, the RRSSCs have collected large volumes of map data and integrated them with attribute data. The centers plan to combine and assimilate all the data with new-generation IRS high-resolution images and serve the data and application sets across the government sector.

The RRSSCs needed a GIS solution that met their needs and was scalable to meet growing demands for services from a large number of users for a variety of advanced applications. The centers selected ESRI's proven technology and superior solutions after several rounds of technical presentations, demonstrations, and discussions. The RRSSCs and ESRI India have concluded a comprehensive training session, and RRSSC users have started developing the solution.

Dr. Yvn Krishnamurthy, director of the RRSSCs, says, "ISRO users have been using ESRI products for a variety of applications, and many national programs have been based on GIS solutions. IRS imagery has been the source of thematic mapping inputs and provides end-to-end solutions under the umbrella of the National Natural Resources Management System. ArcGIS Server with the ArcGIS Server Image extension is a robust and integrated product and has capabilities that can meet our application needs of serving images and thematic maps to a variety of users. Our technical team is geared up to use these capabilities and develop solutions that will be unique and beneficial. We look forward to close support from ESRI in this endeavour."

Dr. Mukund Rao, president and chief operating officer at ESRI India, notes, "ISRO has been pioneering the use of IRS imagery and advancing GIS solutions for a long time. We are proud to be associated with [the organization] on this prestigious, first-of-its kind national project to serve image and map-based solutions in a GIS portal architecture. We value our relationship with ISRO and are committed in our support."

ArcGIS Server helps users connect people with the information they need via Web mapping applications and GIS services. It is built on a modern, service-oriented architecture. The ArcGIS Server Image extension makes it possible to take raw or preprocessed imagery and immediately deliver it as a Web service. It enables organizations to exploit the rich information content available in imagery and quickly access large volumes of imagery. This is far superior to traditional options that required significant effort by users to locate and make file-based imagery available.

Organizations are moving to newer technology platforms because of their need to leverage imagery throughout their entire enterprise and the new capabilities available for working with imagery. "We provide some really remarkable and powerful new tools that enable things to happen in near-real time¾things like delivering and displaying imagery, roaming around the imagery, zooming in to the imagery, and doing on-the-fly mosaicking and orthorectification of the imagery," says Lawrie Jordan, ESRI's director of imagery enterprise solutions. "Customers like this because they are seeing immediate benefits in terms of performance and the quality of their results."

ESRI India envisions that this new software deployment and implementation will serve as a key reference within all Indian government agencies, especially those that disseminate and/or consume imagery and imagery-related data.

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About ESRI

Since 1969, ESRI has been giving customers around the world the power to think and plan geographically. The market leader in GIS, ESRI software is used in more than 300,000 organizations worldwide including each of the 200 largest cities in the United States, most national governments, more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies, and more than 7,000 colleges and universities. ESRI applications, running on more than one million desktops and thousands of Web and enterprise servers, provide the backbone for the world's mapping and spatial analysis. ESRI is the only vendor that provides complete technical solutions for desktop, mobile, server, and Internet platforms. Visit us at ESRI - The GIS Software Leader.

ESRI, the ESRI globe logo, ArcGIS, GIS by ESRI, ESRI - The GIS Software Leader, and @esri.com are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of ESRI in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions. Other companies and products mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners.

http://www.directionsmag.com/press.releases/?duty=Show&id=32382

 

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Ocean satellite our next mission: ISRO chief​

05 May 2009

BALASORE: Launch of an ocean satellite is the next mission of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) after the successful launch of Chandrayaan-1, said G Madhavan Nair, ISRO chairman and Secretary of the Department of Space.

Nair who was here recently to attend the fifth convocation of Fakir Mohan University told this paper that, ‘‘through the satellite we would study the winds on the ocean surface, sea surface height variability and the wave heights and collect information about fishes.’’ ‘‘The satellite will provide quantitative description of the evolving state of the upper ocean and the pattern of ocean climate variability, including heat, fresh water storage and transport,’’ he added.

The ISRO chief said, oceans are the driving force for monsoons, a potential source of food, energy and drugs, a cost-effective medium for transport and a strategic space.

Measurements of sea-surface height, or ocean surface topography, reveal the speed and direction of ocean currents and tell scientists how much of the sun’s energy is stored by the ocean.

Combining ocean current and heat storage data is key to understanding global climate variations. These technological advances will allow scientists to monitor conditions in coastal regions, Nair said.

‘‘However, the next mission will enhance our knowledge of tides in coastal areas, shallow seas and internal tides in the open ocean, while improving our understanding of ocean currents and eddies,’’ he added.

On India after 10 years, the ISRO chief said: ‘‘We are already having a leadership position in the world. We will consolidate that and be one of the prominent nations as far as space research is concerned."

Ocean satellite our next mission: ISRO chief

 

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Base station on moon is the next dream: ISRO chief​

Sunday, May 10, 2009

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Indian space mission’s next dream is to set up a base station on the moon so that space vehicles for onward journey to the Mars can be assembled and launched from there, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), G. Madhavan Nair, has said.

Addressing students of ISRO’s Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) at their annual celebrations here on Friday, Dr. Nair asked them to have this dream in their mind. He asked them to think big, not just retrace the path already trekked by space science and technology, but look to where the future beckoned.

“You are going to be with the ISRO for 30 years and more. Think beyond what we have already done. We want you to think of air-breathing rockets, India having a base station on the moon, India emerging as a space power,” he told them after describing how happy he was to see the IIST really coming of age, to become an institution that would in future drive the Indian space mission.

Earlier, the students gave a video narration of what all they had done in their institution during the course of the last one year (the celebrations were in connection with the second anniversary of the IIST).

Referring to the activities, both curricular and extra-curricular, Dr. Nair said the institution, which now had the former President, Abdul Kalam, as the Chancellor, was in the process of evolving a hitherto untried method of grooming scientists in the country. The students here were in the thick of what was happening in the ISRO and its organisations in the country.

New campus, courses

IIST Director B.N. Suresh said the institution would shift to a new campus at Valiyamala (in Thiruvananthapuram district) by August this year. The IIST had introduced Ph.D. programmes in various disciplines of space science and postgraduate courses were being launched during the course of the year.

Chief Secretary K.J. Mathew, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Director K. Radhakrishnan and several top scientists from ISRO’s other institutions attended the celebrations.

The Hindu : National : Base station on moon is the next dream: ISRO chief

 

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ISRO sets its sights on Mars​

Sunday, May 10, 2009

BANGALORE: With the moon mission Chandrayaan 1 accomplished, the next venture will be sending a space vehicle to Mars, ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair said here on Saturday. The plan is to make this possible by 2013 or a few years later.

Speaking after being felicitated at the eighth anniversary of the CII Institute of Quality, he said the cost factor had to be considered in planning space missions. “Right now, per kg of payload costs $15,000 to $20,000, and we are trying to bring it down to $1,000. Much of it can come from more indigenisation and through being able to reuse the different stages of the rocket taking a vehicle to space,” Mr. Nair said.

While ISRO would get Rs. 30,000 crore ($ 6 billion) from the Government during the 11th Plan, resources had to be used with care.

More research and development for localisation was necessary, he said, adding that “90 per cent of our technology now is home-grown”.

Also felicitated was S. Viji, Managing Director, Brakes India Ltd. and trustee of the Kuruvila Jacob Memorial Educational Trust. Named after the former headmaster of Madras Christian College School, the trust selects schools to help them implement quality control measures for “excellence in education”.

Tata Steel Managing Director B. Muthuraman, who was felicitated, explained how quality control in steel plants had helped lower the cost of production and made the final product more competitive.

Delivering the annual day lecture, Rajiv Gandhi, Chief General Manager (Production), Maruti Suzuki Ltd., said the automotive sector accounted for 3.5 per cent of the GDP and contributed 17 per cent of total taxes collected by the Government.

“Despite the economic slowdown and an uncertain market and volatility in input prices, Maruti could do better than most others in the sector because of consistent quality in our products,” he said.

Institute of Quality Chairman K.N. Shenoy said there were several examples of global excellence achieved by Indian corporates.

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ISRO sets its sights on Mars

 

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Indian flag set to soar high with American astronaut​

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

CHENNAI: American astronaut Andrew Feustel, who will fly in space shuttle Atlantis on Monday, will carry the Indian national flag with him because he is married to an Indian, Indira Bhatnagar, who belongs to Ambala, Haryana, and he “loves India.”

Mr. Feustel is a geophysicist who will undertake three spacewalks. This will be the shuttle’s final maintenance mission to the Hubble space telescope. According to Ashima Bhatnagar, who is related to Indira, Mr. Feustel’s love affair with India began with his marriage to Ms. Indira and introduction to Indian food. Ms. Indira is the daughter of Dr. Vijay Mohan Bhatnagar of Ambala, now settled in Cornwall, Canada.

“Within months of the historic Chandrayaan-1 mission, the Indian flag will again leave the confines of gravity and take its place in space,” Ms. Ashima said. Mr. Feustel can speak a few words in Hindi and called his last trip to India in 2007 “out of the world,” added Ms. Ashima.

Mr. Feustel and Ms. Indira met when they were students at Purdue University in the U.S., said Sandeep Bhatnagar, Commissioner of Customs (Exports), Chennai and father of Ms. Ashima. The shuttle mission’s commander is Scott Altman.

The Hindu : International / India & World : Indian flag set to soar high with American astronaut

 

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ISRO to launch re-usable rockets​

Hyderabad May 12, 2009,

The Indian Space Research Organisation(Isro) is working on a plan to launch re-usable rockets within next 10 to 15 years that will take off from the ground to orbit and return just like any aircraft carrying people and payload, said G Madhvan Nair, Chairman of Isro.

“Isro will launch these re-usable rockets within next 10 to 15 years,” Nair told reporters on the sidelines of AV Rama Rao Technology Award Lecture on Advances in Space Materials on the occasion of National Technology Day celebrations at IICT here today.

Nair said the single stage orbit vehicle will take off from ground carrying people or payload and return.

“The concept will be like space shuttle but with a different configuration. For this Isro is working on required technology,” he said.

He said Isro is tuned to developing programmes to solve the people’s problems like better communication system, imaging planet earth, improving resolution capability, improving radar composition, developing technology for satellites, and forecasting weather that will give information to villagers of the type of soil, ocean and fishing activity.

Nair said this year three satellites-home grown cryogenic engine on Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), and two PSLVs will be launched. The PSLV will carry Ocean SAT in addition to Scatrometre that will provide information of the tidal wave heights useful for fishermen, interaction of the ocean with atmosphere besides other ocean related information.

Isro to launch re-usable rockets

 

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ISRO mulls setting up intermediate base on moon​

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Bangalore, May 9: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is studying the possibility of setting up an intermediate base on the moon so that it can help the space agency to explore other planets such as Mars and Jupiter from that platform.

It is also planning to reduce the cost of access to space by half to about $10,000 a kg so that it is cheaper to send more spacecraft to not only mine information but also to extract Helium 3, which is an ideal fuel for atomic plants and certain metals such as magnesium and silica. The moon has deposit of about 2.5 million tonnes of metals, he said.

The ISRO Chairman, Mr G. Madhavan Nair, who was felicitated by the CII Institute of Quality at its eighth anniversary here on Saturday, said the country’s first mission to the moon, Chandrayaan has completed more than six months since its launch, and now ISRO has access to features which reveal key information.

Brakes India Managing Director and the trustee of Kuruvila Jacob Memorial Educational Trust, Mr S. Viji, who was felicitated at the anniversary function, said last year, the trust launched a programme for the establishment of three model schools on the QCI framework of quality school governance standards from the first and second cluster.

This accreditation standard aims at providing a framework for effective management and delivery of holistic education programme for the overall development of the students. This initiative was carried out at the request of the Corporation of Chennai.

School programmes

Mr Viji said the corporation school programmes have been conducted on a free of cost basis with the entire cost being borne by the trust with training assistance from Confederation of Indian Industry’s Institute of Quality in Bangalore. Mr Viji said these activities were part of the “Kuruvila Jacob Initiative for promoting excellence in school education”. He said this initiative was launched to honour Mr Kuruvila Jacob, a great educationist and humanist on his birth centenary in 2004. Mr Kuruvila was the headmaster of Madras Christian College High School between 1931 and 1962 and later became the principal of Hyderabad Public School and then moved to Mumbai to become the principal of Cathedral and John Connon School, the first Indian to head the school.

Challenges

Tata Steel Managing Director, Mr B. Muthuraman, who was also felicitated, said the corporate landscape is set to undergo several changes. “Hopefully we will have a more truthful and better world,” he said. One of the challenges facing companies was how to energise employees to take on targets, they have not reached before. He said employees usually perform better and try to achieve a target if they realise that they will not be penalised if they fail.

Delivering the IQ Anniversary Day lecture, Mr Rajiv Gandhi, Chief General Manager, casting and engine plants for Maruti Suzuki Ltd, said at the company’s car plant, manpower planning is carried out at 95 per cent attendance level with 21 days advance manpower induction for increased volumes. He said to manage absenteeism, workers were being given multi-skill training to prevent quality inconsistencies.

The Hindu Business Line : ISRO mulls setting up intermediate base on moon

 

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Indian flag set to soar high with American astronaut​

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

CHENNAI: American astronaut Andrew Feustel, who will fly in space shuttle Atlantis on Monday, will carry the Indian national flag with him because he is married to an Indian, Indira Bhatnagar, who belongs to Ambala, Haryana, and he “loves India.”

Mr. Feustel is a geophysicist who will undertake three spacewalks. This will be the shuttle’s final maintenance mission to the Hubble space telescope. According to Ashima Bhatnagar, who is related to Indira, Mr. Feustel’s love affair with India began with his marriage to Ms. Indira and introduction to Indian food. Ms. Indira is the daughter of Dr. Vijay Mohan Bhatnagar of Ambala, now settled in Cornwall, Canada.

“Within months of the historic Chandrayaan-1 mission, the Indian flag will again leave the confines of gravity and take its place in space,” Ms. Ashima said. Mr. Feustel can speak a few words in Hindi and called his last trip to India in 2007 “out of the world,” added Ms. Ashima.

Mr. Feustel and Ms. Indira met when they were students at Purdue University in the U.S., said Sandeep Bhatnagar, Commissioner of Customs (Exports), Chennai and father of Ms. Ashima. The shuttle mission’s commander is Scott Altman.

The Hindu : International / India & World : Indian flag set to soar high with American astronaut

Excellent. In fact indian artifacts and culture has been taken to space a numerous times. Specially by Mike Fincke , who recently commanded the Expedition 18 of International space station. He has flown to space many times and each time he even did Q&A sessions with school and university students in india. He has even named his son "Chandra"

Here is a link to his recent Q&A with indian students.

The Hindu : Young World : Talking to the astronaut in sky

Here is an interview with his indian wife who also works for NASA

NASA - Interview: Renita Fincke


Saw this recent video of his doing indian dance in space wearing a local gamcha.

 

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In Dec, IIT-K’s little Jugnu to find its place in sky​

May 14, 2009

Kanpur: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has finally given the green signal for the launch of the Nano satellite Jugnu — the dream project of the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur (IIT-K).

The nod comes after a second design review was presented by the IIT-K authorities. The satellite will be launched in the Polar Orbit from Sriharikota in December 2009.

Sanjay Govind Dhande, the Director of IIT-K, said: “Though the Memorandum of Understanding between ISRO and IIT-K for the project was signed in February, regular review sessions are being carried out by ISRO to check the progress of the ambitious project.”

The first review session of the Nano was carried out by ISRO in April. “On Tuesday, our technical team working on the project apprised the ISRO authorities through video conferencing about the Release Mechanism and Antenna Mechanism,” said Dhande.

In Dec, IIT-K’s little Jugnu to find its place in sky

 

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India to Launch 1st IRNSS Satellite by December​

The Indian Space Research Organisation says it is on track to launch the first satellite in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite system by the end of the year. The entire constellation will be in place by 2012.

According to a presentation by A. Bhaskaranarayana to a meeting of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) in Montreal on 15 July 2008, IRNSS will consists of three satellites (called GEOs) on the geostationary arc above India and four (called GSOs) in two highly inclined quazi-zenith orbits.

The GEOs will be located at 34°E, 83°E and 132°E. The GSOs will be in orbits with a 24,000 km apogee and 250 km perigee inclined at 29 degrees. Two of the GSOs will cross the equator at 55°E and two at 111°E.

The system is designed to provide 20 metre accuracy over the Indian Ocean and 10 metres over the sub-continent.

The GEO satellites will have a 9.4 year lifespan. The GSOs will have a design life of 11 years.

ISRO will use its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle to place the satellites in orbit.

The system will require a sophisticated ground segment. The space craft control centre will contain two telemetry uplink stations and a navigation centre. A timing centre, a laser ranging centre and 20 ranging and integrity monitoring stations will also be established. A data communications network will connect the entire system.

IRNSS signals will consist of a Special Positioning Service and a Precision Service. Both will be carried on L5 (1176.45 MHz) and S (2492.08 MHz). The SPS signal will be modulated by a 1 MHz BPSK signal. The Precision service will use BOC(5,2)

The ground segment will consist of multi-constellation receivers capable of simultaneously receiving both signals from all seven satellites while over Indian territory. It will also receive GPS signals augmented by the Gagan system.

India to Launch 1st IRNSS Satellite by December :: ASM

 

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Some background info on IRNSS

India heads for a regional navigation satellite system​

by, DR ARJUN SINGH AND DR S K SARASWATI

Indian Space Research Organisation has taken up a project called Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System for the establishment of an independent regional navigational infrastructure

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Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has taken up a project called Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) for the establishment of an independent regional navigational infrastructure. The system main objective is to provide high positional accuracy (comparable to the existing constellations) real time position, velocity and time for various users in the region. IRNSS services will be available on a 24x7x365 basis irrespective of the availability of other constellations over Indian airspace. The system leverages the technological competence of ISRO in satellite, ground and other critical technologies

Proposed IRNSS Architecture

The proposed architecture of the INRSS consists of space segment, ground segment and user segment. The space segment consists of three GEOs located at 34° E, 83° E and 132° E and four GSOs. The 4 N-GSOS will be placed in the orbit at an inclination angle of 29° with longitude crossing at 55° and 111° East. The ground segment consists of INRSS ranging and integrity monitoring which will be located at 20 places and most of them will be located in the airports along with GAGAN ground elements. IRNSS will have the two Master Control Stations (MCS), which may be co-located with GAGAN INMCC. The proposed INRSS architecture is shown in Fig. 1. The intended coverage area for IRNSS has been proposed to be over the Indian subcontinent and service area will be primarily on the Indian land mass and adjoining areas. The service area for IRNSS is specified as between longitude 40oE to 140o E and between latitude ± 40o. More specifically the coverage should include the Indian subcontinent plus about 1500 Km beyond the Indian geographical area. IRNSS system provides dual frequency (S & L5 band) usage with a targeted position accuracy of less than 10 meters within India. At present one down link in S-band and three down links in L5 band are planned. The system can be augmented with local area augmentation for higher accuracy.

The error budget of the proposed IRNSS is given below in Table 1.

The proposed IRNSS will be designed indigenously and launched from Indian soil through Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). The proposed satellite specifications are given below.

• Dry mass of the satellite ~ 600 kgs
• Power generation 1400 watts
• Fuel loading capacity ~ 785 kgs
• Accommodates navigation payload of weight 102 kgs and 375 watts of power

The snap shot of IRNSS GEOS & GSOS satellite locations are shown in Fig. 2.

IRNSS payload

It will provide signal generation on board and there will be two downlinks providing dual frequency operation with EIRP of 31.5 dBW at EOC. INRSS payload will have 3 Rubidium clocks and Navigation data up link will be through telemetry command link. The payload beam of GSOS will be steered to take care of the inclination.

IRNSS Ground Segment Functionality

The ground segment consists of MCC, INRSS Ranging and Integrity Monitoring (IRIM) Stations and IRNSS telemetry and command stations. The function of MCC is to estimate and predicts the ephemeris; calculate corrections for SV clock & maintain IRNSS time, Ionospheric corrections and Integrity. The function of IRNSS IRIM stations will be receiving the data from the GEOs and GSOs, transmit the data to MCC and one way ranging of the GEOs & GSOs in S band. The function of IRNSS telemetry and command stations will be to receive telemetry from the IRNSS constellation, Telecomm and the IRNSS constellation and navigation updates.

USER Segment

The user segment will consist of a specially designed inter operable dual frequency receiver, which may receive the data from other constellation of
navigation satellite. User segment receiver may be called as multi constellation receiver. The user receiver to get the required position accuracy will continuously track all the seven satellites of INRSS. The user receiver will have minimum G/T of -25 dB/K similar to GPS.

Conclusion

The INRSS is under planning stage and ISRO is the main agency to design and implement the entire infrastructure required for operation of the system. It has also to do certification and validation of the signal will be before declaring operational for the users.

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About the authors:

Dr Arjun Singh: Joint General Manager Airports Authority of India

Dr S K Saraswati: Executive Director (CNS-P), Airports Authority of India

 

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A ppt on IRNSS and GAGAN, by A. Bhaskaranarayana, Director SCP/FMO & Scientific Secretary, Indian Space Research Organisation.

Presentation to COSPAR Meeting, Montreal

 

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GPS’ India equivalent in three years​

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Kochi: The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), similar to the Global Positioning System (GPS) of the U.S., will be operational in three years’ time, K. Radhakrishnan, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), has said.

Inaugurating a two-day national seminar on “Innovations in electronics technology for futuristic communications,” organised by the Institution of Engineers (India) local centre, here on Friday, Mr. Radhakrishnan said a revolution was under way in the field of satellite navigation systems.

“India is going in a major way in this area,” he said. The country will have a space-based augmentation of the GPS system Gagan (GPS-aided Geo-augmented Navigation, which the Indian Space Research Organisation [ISRO] has developed with the U.S. defence major Raytheon), to start with. Gagan will be in place in a year and a half, and is primarily meant to aid precise landing of aircraft.

“However, we plan to have our own IRNSS in three years. Covering the Indian Ocean region, this will provide positional accuracy of about 10 metres and is implemented using seven satellites, three in the geostationary transfer orbits and four in non-geostationary orbits,” he said.

“Importantly, today we also have an international coordinating group under the United Nations Committee on Peaceful use of Outer Space that worries about interoperability among the GPS, the Russian Glonass, the European Galileo and (as it happens) the IRNSS.”

On the major achievements of ISRO, he said by the end of the 11th Five Year Plan, the country would have at least 500 transponders, a quantum jump from the present 210 made available by 10 satellites.

“Besides the present C-band, extended C-band and Ku-band, we are also getting into the higher frequency Ka-band providing ultra small aperture terminal communication that will revolutionise rural communication … Already, we have been able to connect a large number of hospitals — primary health centres in remote areas — to super-specialty hospitals,” he said.

Later, speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Radhakrishnan said that the space agency was all set to test the indigenous cryogenic engine in the next flight of the GSLV (Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) in August or September.

“We also have a series of PSLV [Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle] flights lined up and its next flight, scheduled for this July, will put a new Oceansat into the orbit to replace the existing one. This will have new payloads with ocean colour monitor and the scatterometer on board will give wind velocity in the Indian seas. This year will also see the launch of Resourcesat-II, besides the second flight of space recovery capsule. Preparations are also afoot to develop GSLV Mark III that can ferry a 4-tonne satellite into the geostationary transfer orbit. The launch will be in 2010 or 2011,” he said.

• Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System will cover the Indian Ocean region

The Hindu : Front Page : GPS’ India equivalent in three years