ISRO collaborates with private sector to manufacture satellite

Bengaluru : ‘Indian Space Research Organisation’ (ISRO), which has set newer world records in the field of satellite launching, will soon collaborate with private sector for developing satellites. The very first satellite to be manufactured jointly by the government and the private sector, will be launched very soon.

By launching 104 satellites in space at one go, ISRO created a world record. Out of those, 101 satellites belonged to other countries. In the meantime, ISRO, which brought huge success for India in the field of space research, has earned credibility at international level in launching safe and sound satellites at very reasonable prices. This has also proved ISRO’s capability in launching satellites. After launching micro and small satellites, ISRO has also successfully launched heavy-duty satellites. Consequently, several countries are eager to seek help from ISRO for launching all kinds of satellites.

Up till now, ISRO has successfully executed 150 projects. Subsequently, ISRO, which has achieved many a milestones in the field of space, has decided to seek help from the private sector to manufacture satellites. With this decision, ISRO will be building a satellite with the help of private sector for the very first time. In accordance with the decision, ISRO, as its first assignment, has taken up manufacturing of two satellites with the help of Bengaluru-based company ‘Alpha Design Technologies’. These satellites will help India in its navigation system. 70 engineers from ‘Alpha Design’ are assisting ISRO for manufacturing the satellites. It is said that the two satellites will be ready for launching within two months.

Col. H. S. Shankar is leading this project undertaken jointly by ISRO and Alpha. This project is a big challenge for an Indian company. Assembling and testing the spare parts of a satellite is indeed a difficult task, added Shankar.

India has launched seven satellites in order to develop India’s independent navigation system. Currently, India’s independent GPS system is fully functional. But to prevent any hindrance in the system in future, the two satellites are being launched. An agreement worth Rs. 400 crores has been reached to manufacture these satellites. It is believed that the agreement made between ISRO and Alpha will, in future, pave way for other companies also to collaborate with ISRO in satellite making. Currently, the gap between the demand and ISRO’s capacity to fulfill it, is widening. A need to work out on different levels to fulfill the gap, is being expressed. The government has set up a target of manufacturing 16-17 satellites per year. In these circumstances, the participation of private sector can help ISRO a lot in increasing the capacity of satellite manufacturing and launching, said M. Annadurai, the Director of ISRO Satellite Centre at Bengaluru.