Chennai, May 23: With the launch of two foreign satellites on Wednesday along with India's own Oceansat, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) would be entering commercial satellite launching. This would show that India's satellite launch vehicle technology has acquired a competitive edge in the global market in terms of price and capability, ISRO chairman K Kasturirangan said at Shriharikotta on Saturday.``Our rates are quite competitive, being 20 to 30 per cent lower than the global price,'' he said.
In order to go commercial in a big way in future, ISRO is planning to set up another satellite launch pad in Shriharikotta at a cost of Rs 250 crore, S Vasantha, director of the centre said. It is to be completed by 2002, he added.
GSLV test flight by next year: ISRO is developing a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, (GSLV), for placing 2500-kg Insat class of satellites in geostationary transfer orbit. The first developmental test flight of GSLV is expected at the end of this year orearly next year, Kasturirangan said. The initial flights of GSLV will use Russian-supplied cryogenic stage.
Indigenous development of cryogenic stage has already been taken up by ISRO for use in subsequent flights. GSLV is a three-stage vehicle, the core being solid booster as in PSLV, the second stage a liquid propulsion system as in PSLV with a propellant loading of 37.5 tonne. The upper stage will be a restartable cryogenic engine with a propellant loading of 12 tonne, liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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