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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working on a new-generation launch vehicle, which can orbit a four-tonne communication satellite from Indian soil, according to N. Prahlad Rao, Director, Satellite Communications and Navigation Programme, ISRO.
He was speaking at the graduation day of the National Institute of Engineering (NIE) here on Saturday.
Mr. Rao said ISRO had established expertise in providing end-to-end solution from drawing board to placing the satellites in orbit. Almost all components required to assemble the space systems were developed in-house. “Only some payload components are imported, but the journey has not been easy,” he said.
“In case of cryogenic engine development, the cutting-edge technology was developed from scratch, but it took more than the anticipated time. However, ISRO ultimately succeeded in realising this crucial technology and with these successes in the background, it was working on a new generation launch vehicle to carry and orbit a 4-tonne communication satellite,” he said.
Describing the forthcoming projects, Mr. Rao said the coming year was going to be one of navigation as GAGAN, a system-based GPS augmentation was already operational and would bring in improvements in the operation of civil aviation routes.
“India’s regional navigation programme, IRNSS, is going to be operational and this will be a system operating independent of any foreign systems like GPS and will make India self-reliant in this area,” according to Mr. Rao. He said there were around 25 spacecraft orbiting earth and providing services in the area of communication, meteorology, remote sensing and navigation and the benefits of these efforts are already reaching common man in this country. “It is taken for granted that any point-to-point communication is just a push button away. But behind the scenes, ISRO communication satellite is providing the crucial connectivity. When cyclone Phalin made landfall in Odisha recently, not one life was lost, thanks to the contribution from space technology, which was playing an active role in disaster management,” Mr. Rao added.
‘ISRO working on a new-generation launch vehicle’ | idrw.org