Indian space agency aims
$60 mn revenue from satellite manufacturing
By
Venkatachari Jagannathan
Indo-Asian
News Service
Chennai,
Oct 20 (IANS) The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
is gearing up to play a major role in satellite manufacturing.
"We
are targeting a revenue of around $60 million from manufacturing
satellites for others," K.R. Sridhara Murthi, executive
director of Antrix Corp Ltd, the commercial arm of the Indian
space agency, told IANS.
At
present, nearly 60 percent of its Rs.9.4-billion turnover
is derived from transponder rentals (211 transponders), while
the balance is from selling remote sensing data, ground station
services, satellite launches and exports of satellite components
and other products.
The
ISRO is building a 32 transponder satellite, W2M, weighing
3,200 kg, for the Paris-based Eutelsat Communications.
The
order is from Europe's leading satellite system specialist
EADS Astrium. Murthi said the transponders supplied by a European
manufacturer were being assembled at ISRO's satellite centre
in Bangalore.
Apart
from building the satellite bus and integrating the transponders,
ISRO will also test the spacecraft.
The
ISRO has won another contract from Avanti Screen Media, again
through EADS Astrium, to make a highly adoptable satellite.
India
last month signed an agreement with France for joint research
and development activities, instrumentation for satellites
and development of small satellites.
In
satellite manufacturing, the ISRO has to compete with giants
like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Mitsubishi, Thales Alenia and
others.
Indo-Asian
News Service
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