Indian Space Association

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said at a national meet to commemorate the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) on Monday that late last month it was deliberated that the propellant must have been exhausted, and therefore, the desired attitude pointing could not be achieved for sustained power generation.

The about Rs 56 crore SSLV rocket with a capacity to carry satellites weighing 500kg or less is meant for commercial as well as for country's strategic needs, a space sector expert, not wanting to be identified, told IANS. The Sunday space mission failure also puts the focus on the safety of India's human space mission that will be carried out by Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mk III (GSLV-Mk III) with the tricky cryogenic engine stage.

According to the ISRO, the rocket SSLV-D1 (Developmental Flight 1) will blast off from the launch pad at Sriharikota at 9.18 a.m. The rocket with a maximum luggage carrying capacity of 500 kg will be carrying an earth observation satellite-02 (EOS-02) formerly known as Microsatellite-2A weighing about 142 kg. The satellite will carry an infrared camera with six metre resolution.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the transfer. The Union Cabinet has also approved increasing the authorised share capital of the NSIL from Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 7,500 crore. Transfer of these assets to the NSIL will further provide the desired financial autonomy to the company to realise capital intensive programmes/ projects and thereby offering huge employment potential and technology spin-off to other sectors of the economy.

The US and Europe's economic sanctions against Russia for its military action against Ukraine may throw up economic opportunities for the Indian space sector, instead of burdening it with economic cost, say industry experts. They also feel that to cash on the opportunities, India should accelerate its satellite launch capabilities, and announce productivity-linked incentive (PLI) schemes for the aerospace sector.

Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a virtual event, ISpA is the premier industry association of space and satellite companies and aspires to be the voice of India's space sector. "With the launch of ISpA, our aim is to meet the nation's vision of becoming an economic space hub in the future," Bhatt said in an interview to IANS.