By Fakir Balaji, IANS
Bangalore : India has a cost advantage among the five nations that can make commercial launches of satellites in polar orbit, a top Indian space agency official said after the successful launch of an Israeli “spy satellite” Monday.
“India is now one among the five countries in the world to commercially launch any kind of satellite into polar orbit at around two-thirds of the international cost,” Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman G. Madhavan Nair told IANS on phone from Sriharikota.
The ISRO Monday morning placed the Israeli satellite in the polar orbit after a textbook launch from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, about 90 km from Chennai.
Others with the technology and capability to commercially launch satellites in polar orbit are the US, Ariane of the European Space Agency, Russia and China.
“But we have an edge in launching polar satellites at a cost which is 30 percent cheaper than similar launches by other international players,” Nair added.
Referring to the launch of the Israeli satellite, christened TecSAR, from the first launch-pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on board polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV-C10), Nair said the space agency’s PSLV had demonstrated once again that it was very reliable, capable and a cost-effective launcher in a competitive satellite launch market.
“The commercial launch of (the) Israeli satellite earlier in the day was exactly as we wanted. The mission was perfect and on the dot at 0915 IST. As programmed, the 210-tonne PSLV rocket had placed the 300-kg TecSAR in an inclined orbit within 20 minutes of lift-off,” Nair recalled.
India entered the global satellite launch market in April 2007 when ISRO successfully launched an Italian satellite, Agile, using PSLV-C8 and placing it in a low-earth orbit.
“When Agile was successfully put in polar orbit, our launch capabilities were accepted globally and acknowledged by our competitors in the international market,” Nair asserted.
As the launch of the Israeli satellite, also known as Polaris, was a commercial contract between Antrix Corporation, the commercial wing of ISRO, and Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI), the Indian space agency’s engagement was limited to launching and placing it into polar orbit.
“The satellite is being tracked by the Israeli ground support after our PSLV placed it in the required slot. It is doing well. It was a job well done,” Nair added.