India to get Agile, put Italian satellite in orbit by '06
"BANGALORE: India will launch a 350 kg Italian scientific satellite �Agile� early next year, making an entry into the elite club of nations that put satellites in orbit for overseas customers, Antrix Corporation executive director KR Sridhara Murthi has said.
Antrix, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), markets to global customers India�s satellite and launch capabilities, besides space images.
ISRO had earlier launched small payloads for foreign players as �piggyback�. This will be the first time when its workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket would launch a foreign satellite as a lone passenger.
�A German company, which had bagged the launch contract has sub-contracted it to ISRO,� Mr Murthi told reporters here, but declined to comment on the value of multi-million dollar contract. �We are able to give a competitive price,� ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair said.
Last June, Mr Nair had indicated the launch contract to be $10m, but merely said today that the Indian price tag was competitive. He said ISRO may use spare capacity in the rocket to launch an Indian satellite but had not drawn any plans.
�They are paying full,� Mr Murthi said. US, Russia, Germany, France, China and Japan have the expertise to launch satellites for global customers. "
Antrix, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), markets to global customers India�s satellite and launch capabilities, besides space images.
ISRO had earlier launched small payloads for foreign players as �piggyback�. This will be the first time when its workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket would launch a foreign satellite as a lone passenger.
�A German company, which had bagged the launch contract has sub-contracted it to ISRO,� Mr Murthi told reporters here, but declined to comment on the value of multi-million dollar contract. �We are able to give a competitive price,� ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair said.
Last June, Mr Nair had indicated the launch contract to be $10m, but merely said today that the Indian price tag was competitive. He said ISRO may use spare capacity in the rocket to launch an Indian satellite but had not drawn any plans.
�They are paying full,� Mr Murthi said. US, Russia, Germany, France, China and Japan have the expertise to launch satellites for global customers. "
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