India in Space
Profits of Satellite Technology
By SRINIVAS LAXMAN
IT could not have been a more auspicious place to embark on an ambitious
mission. The place was Mary Magdelene's church in Thiruvanathapuram and it
was here that a group of aerospace scientists first gathered nearly 35 years
ago to launch India into the space age. Over the years, new hi-tech
laboratories and workshops sprang up in different parts of the country. Now
the Indian space programme is ready to take a giant leap forward with three
launches this year.
They are the launch of the INSAT-3B satellite next month to be followed by
the INSAT-3A during the middle of this year, both by the Ariane-5 rocket
from Kourou in French Guyana. Tentatively slated for launch in June or July
is the Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) from Sriharikota,
near Chennai. The main significance of next month's INSAT-3B mission is that
it is the first of five satellites to be launched under the third series of
the INSAT programme. This satellite will essentially be for different
communication purposes.
The question being asked is why INSAT-3B is going ahead of INSAT-3A? Space
officials say it is being done to cater to the immediate requirement of the
C-band capacity which was depleted because of the INSAT-2D failure in 1997.
Maintaining its tradition, Indian space missions will always remain
application-driven attempting to improve the quality of life of the people
of this country. Vikram Sarabhai, described as the father of India's space
programme, said that the country's space projects must benefit the common
man. He said: ``The question is not whether developing countries can afford
space technology; the point is whether they can afford to ignore it.''
Impressive Record
With this in mind, India took off into the space age, first with the launch
of the Rohini and Centaur rockets, followed by the Satellite Launch Vehicle,
which successfully placed a satellite in orbit. Then came the Augumented
Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV), followed by the Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicle (PSLV). This year comes the GSLV.
Despite India being a new entrant to the competitive global space club,
which hitherto was an exclusive preserve of a handful of countries, India's
overall track record both in the field of rocketry and satellites has been
impressive. This, of course, does not overlook the fact that it had its
share of failures too, which needless to say can be expected in any hi-tech
project. To cite a few examples, one recalls the failures of the ASLV and of
the PSLV. But, these failed missions only proved to be a blessing in
disguise because with a few changes here and there the subsequent flights
were a resounding success. This endorsed India's claim to be growing global
space power.
Remember May 26, 1999? It was on this day India left a strong impact on the
global space market by successfully launching two foreign satellites, one
belonging to South Korea and other to Germany along with the country's own
ocean-monitoring remote sensing satellite. All of them were launched by the
PSLV. This successful mission has given the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) enough confidence now to market its launchers abroad.
The four-stage PSLV is a versatile launcher offering a payload capability in
different orbit profiles. Sriharikota's proximity to the equator, moreover,
gives a better payload weight advantage for any polar launch. Keeping this
in mind, Antrix Corporation, the space agency's marketing agency has to
embark on a tough strategy to ensure that India's multi-faceted space
programme becomes increasingly commercial in the coming years.
According to an US-based aerospace firm, global satellite makers plan to
launch about 1,000 satellites until 2,009 at a total cost of about $ 75
billion. The world market for space products and services currently stands
at about $ 10 billion. Of this, the share of communication satellites is
expected to be about 30 per cent, launch services 20 per cent and remote
sensing programmes five per cent. ISRO is aiming to secure about 20 per cent
of the global share of remote sensing products. A lot now depends on the
initiatives which will be taken by Antrix Corporation to garner a small
percentage of the remote sensing market.
Higher Orbit
What is of significance is that the remote sensing products of the Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are in great demand in different parts of
the world. In fact, the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS-IC) which was
launched by the Russians in December 1995 has been described as a jewel in
the crown by the prestigious American aerospace journal, Aviation Week and
Space Technology.
The flight of INSAT-3B, INSAT-3A and the GSLV this year will take ISRO into
a a higher orbit. Once the GSLV is declared operational, perhaps after three
test flights, India's future INSAT satellites will be launched by this
rocket and ISRO perhaps need not go to Ariane to launch its communication
satellites. With a capability to launch the 2,500-kilogramme class of
communication satellites, the GSLV must be ``sold'' to other countries for
launching their INSAT-type satellites. Technically, the GSLV may prove a
thumping success when it roars off the launch pad at Sriharikota. But, to
become an economically viable project it has to launch communication
satellites for other countries as well.
The GSLV programme suffered a setback when the Americans pressured the
Russians to dishonour the nearly $250-million cryogenic engine deal to ISRO.
The unfounded fear of the Americans was that the sale of these engines
violated the Missile Technology Control Regime. But, it is to the credit of
the Russians that they brushed aside American objections and went ahead with
the deal. The first few test flights of the GSLV will be powered by the
Russian cryogenic engines. Work is currently on at Mahendragiri in Tamil
Nadu for developing the Indian cryogenic engine. If this project goes on
schedule then the future launches of the GSLV will be equipped with the
Indian-made engine.
Mission to Moon
The cryogenic engine controversy makes one wonder whether ISRO could have
avoided depending on a foreign country if it had started making these
engines right from the beginning. Considering the capability of the ISRO
scientists and engineers, the answer is yes.
Some of the other projects which are expected to reach fruition are an
unmanned mission to the moon for carrying out scientific studies and the
launch of a series of remote sensing satellites with a variety of
applications, including one solely dedicated to the field of astronomy. The
space agency is also studying the possibility of a reusable launch. There is
also talk of enhancing the capability of the PSLV in order to enable it put
into orbit heavier satellites.
For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service
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Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. 1999.