Indian Space Capabilities

[IAF]

India can do any thing.

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[Khajur]

Aiming high - ISRO set to build own suits for space mission

Tiki Rajwi
T’Puram

The technology is kept a religiously guarded secret by leading space- faring natin . They won’t even show you such a suit, let alone give one to work with materials needed for manufacturing



THAT white, cocoon-like suit worn by Neil Armstrong as he bobbed up and down on the moon decades ago could prove one of the stiffest challenges for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as it prepares for the human space flight mission. Due to the extreme engineering skill and the astronomical cost involved in making one of these complex suits, the technology is kept a religiously guarded secret by leading space-faring nations. The ISRO is now set to build these suits from scratch using its own technology
“It’s such a complicated attire, and the costs involved are tremendously high. Space agencies that have them won’t even show you such a suit, let alone give you one to work with. The materials needed for manufacturing them are available, though,” ISRO sources said
There, in fact, are two suits. The flight suit used inside the spacecraft and the space suit used outside for extra-vehicular activity. “The common characteristic to both is that they should withstand extreme environments
They should be pressurised and made of multiple fabric layers designed to recreate the earth’s atmosphere,” the sources said. The suits should be airtight, water-proof and flame-resistant, strong enough to resist gas pressure, flexible at sub-zero temperatures and resilient at high temperatures. It should offer protection from radiation and flying particles
The single-piece, intra-vehicular suit (flight suit) has seven layers to withstand cabin depressurisation, prevent loss of oxygen supply and pooling of blood in the lower body among other things. It weighs 20 kg. The extra-vehicular suit (space suit) used by astronauts outside the spacecraft _ the suits they wear when they float in space _ has 17 layers. Apart from providing an earthlike ambience within, it is a small spacecraft in itself
The two-piece suit weighs 120 kg but out there in space, that wouldn’t matter as they would less These suits could cost crores of rupees, ISRO officials said. But then, some special materials go in their making. Like Nomex and Kevlar for instance, which make up the outer, 17th layer. Then there are the auxiliary systems on a space suit. These include soft helmets and visor, communication systems, floating device, pressure regulator, gloves, urine collection garment, anti-gravity pants, camera, lights and oxygen tanks
The Planning Commission had ap- proved the Rs 12,400-crore mission planned for 2015. The ISRO intends to put a two-man mission in orbit which, if successful, would see India make a big leap in its space programme.

:: The NewIndian Express ePaper ::

 

[Mig-29]

Bangalore, July 12(ANI): G Madhavan Nair, Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), on Sunday expressed satisfaction with the successful collection of data about the moon by Chandrayaan, country's maiden lunar mission.

Madhavan Nair stated this while addressing the 9th convocation of International Institute of Information and Technology at Bangalore on Sunday.

He mentioned that the tracking and detection of several factors by Chandrayaan are important steps in mapping the mineralogical composition of moon's surface which in turn would enable further study in its origin and evolution.

"I think I am happy to say that Chandrayaan has been completely successful in collecting all the data what we wanted. First was the three dimensional of the lunar surface, also getting the mineral content of the surface and then trying to use the extra instruments," said G. Madhavan Nair.

"All this went on very well and we are more or less very happy that the mission is complete," he added.

Chandrayaan-1 was launched on October 22 last year.

Madhavan Nair also added that the second moon mission would be launched by 2012. (ANI)

ISRO chief satisfied with lunar data compiled by Chandrayaan - Yahoo! India News

 

[RPK]

India Moon probe 'malfunctions'

India's first mission to the Moon has experienced a technical problem, India's space research officials say.

A sensor of the unmanned Chandrayaan 1 spacecraft has "malfunctioned" and steps have been taken to ensure it is able to continue its work, they say.

It was reported the the spacecraft was no longer orbiting with high precision.

The mission, which launched last October, is regarded as a major step for India as it seeks to keep pace with other space-faring nations in Asia.

Scientists belonging to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said that the "vital star sensor" of the spacecraft had "malfunctioned".

"The mission is safe, but its lifespan may be affected," ISRO spokesman S Satish told the BBC.

The unmanned Chandrayaan 1 spacecraft was launched into space from a launch pad in southern Andhra Pradesh last October.

The robotic probe will orbit the Moon, compiling a 3-D atlas of the lunar surface and mapping the distribution of elements and minerals.

"We have already got useful information from the pictures beamed," said an ISRO official.

But he said the "quality of the pictures" had been affected because of the malfunction.

Powered by a single solar panel generating about 700 watts, the ISRO probe carries five Indian-built instruments and six constructed in other countries, including the US, Britain and Germany.

The mission is expected to cost 3.8bn rupees (£45m; $78m), considerably less than Japanese and Chinese probes sent to the Moon last year.

But the Indian government's space efforts have not been welcomed by all.

Some critics regard the space programme as a waste of resources in a country where millions still lack basic services.

 

[destiny]

Chandrayaan sensor fails; craft''s life may be reduced - Yahoo! India News

Chandrayaan sensor fails; craft''s life may be reduced

Fri, Jul 17 10:35 AM

Bangalore, Jul 17 (PTI) India''s first moon mission Chandrayaan-I, launched in October last with a two-year life span, has lost a major sensor and may meet a premature end, ISRO said today. "Unfortunately, during the last month we have lost a vital sensor --- the star sensor," ISRO Chief G Madhavan Nair said.

"Like in the olden days when one used to look at the stars to fix a direction, likewise an onboard electronic equipment was doing all this and it was required for precise pointing (towards the moon). With its loss we are really worried," he said.

"But to the credit of the ISRO scientific team, they have worked out a very innovative way of overcoming the problem," the ISRO chief said, but added that if some more failures happen, "then we will have problems". Nair, however, said that in the last eight months of the operation of the mission, "we have collected almost all the data that we wanted" and that most of its objectives have already been completed.

Chandrayaan-I was launched from the spaceport of Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on October 22 last year. ISRO Spokesperson S Satish said, "We are not sure how long we will be able to sustain it.

The life of Chandrayaan-I designed for two years may be reduced". He, however, maintained that the mission is not crippled adding, "it is continuing satisfactorily.

" ISRO said it has devised innovative technology and is using antenna pointing mechanism and gyroscopes to overcome the problem. .

 

[RPK]

Scientists save India's moon mission from failure

NEW DELHI — India's only satellite orbiting the moon came close to overheating and failure but scientists improvised to save it, officials said Friday

The launch of Chandrayaan-1 last fall put India in an elite group to have lunar missions along with the U.S., Russia, the European Space Agency, Japan and China.

But last month the satellite lost a critical instrument called the star sensor, said S. Satish, the spokesman of the Indian Space Research Organization.

The sensor helps the $80 million satellite stay oriented so its cameras and other recording equipment are constantly aimed at the lunar surface. Without the sensor, the mission is useless, Satish said.

ISRO chief Madhavan Nair told the NDTV television network that the satellite came close to overheating and failing after it was put into orbit 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the moon.

"The entire spacecraft would have baked and would have been simply lost," Nair said. Many power systems and instruments failed.

The ISRO team then resorted to using other systems such as an antenna mechanism and gyroscope to make sure the satellite was "looking at the moon," Satish told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. The orbit was raised to 120 miles (200 kilometers).

"As a result, the mission is safe and all the systems are working," he said.

As India's economy has boomed, it has sought to convert its newfound wealth — built on the nation's high-tech sector — into political and military clout.

Scientists hope the Chandrayaan project will boost India's capacity to build more efficient rockets and satellites, especially through miniaturization, and open research avenues for young Indian scientists.

Chandrayaan, which means "moon craft" in Sanskrit, is scheduled to last two years.

"We hope we will be able to complete two years in this mode. It may or may not last that long," said Satish. "But there is no need for a major concern. We already have got substantial data from the moon," he said.

India plans to follow the mission by landing a rover on the moon in 2011.

 

[RPK]

Sensor failure not to affect moon mission, says ISRO


BANGALORE: The star sensor failure on board Chandrayaan-1 would not curtail the two-year moon odyssey and more than 90 per cent of the mission's
scientific objectives had already been achieved, ISRO said on Friday.

The space scientists were able to recover within a week from the May 16 "anomaly" (star sensor failure) and put the spacecraft back into normal operation, Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman G Madhavan Nair told reporters here.

He said the star sensor, one of the prime sensors, was used for determining the spacecraft's altitude. Looking at the stars, this sensor can determine the orientation of the moon spacecraft accurately.

ISRO is now using gyroscopes, electro-mechanical devices used for Indian Remote Sensing class of satellites, which gives the orientation accuracy quite satisfactorily, he said.

Nair said more than 90 per cent of the scientific and mission objectives had already been achieved, and dismissed suggestions that the sensor failure might reduce the lifespan of the spacecraft.

"Life (of the spacecraft) is not dependent on this instrument. This instrument is used only for orientation of the spacecraft," he said. "The sensor cannot be recovered at this stage and we hope that the remaining part of this mission will be completed in the gyromode as expected".

Nair said ISRO had a meeting a month ago with the Indian scientific community, which stated that about 90 per cent to 95 per cent of the scientific objectives of the mission had been completed.

"We are happy that almost all the mission objectives which have been set for this (mission) has been achieved," he said.

"More than 90 per cent of the mission objectives have been completed as on date, and the pending activities are related to collecting more images of the Moon, both for terrain mapping as well as the mineral mapping. These operations also, we plan to complete soon. So, with that we will be completing the entire operation relating to Chandrayaan-1 in a successful manner," he said.

The ISRO Chairman said the star sensor would have "gone into problem" because of "excessive radiation" from the Sun.

Asked how long gyroscopes, which have been activated, would survive, Nair said: "...we know electro-mechanic gyros which have been used...they are not susceptible for this kind of radiation and other parameters. So, we hope it will survive the remaining mission duration."

 

[Screaming Skull]

Space agreement to help launch ‘India-U.S. 3.0’ ​

Monday, Jul 20, 2009

New Delhi: Despite last-minute wrinkles, India is still looking to sign an end-use monitoring agreement to ease the sale of U.S. military hardware during the visit here of Hillary Clinton, but the highlight of Monday’s discussions between External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and the U.S. Secretary of State will be the unveiling of a new strategic dialogue architecture and the signing of an agreement to facilitate the launch of U.S. satellites and satellites with U.S. components on Indian launch vehicles.

South Block officials say the new dialogue architecture is intended to take Indo-U.S. relations to a higher level, 3.0 — to use Ms. Clinton’s phrase — and will cover areas like nonproliferation, security, education, health and development. Although the U.S. side is keen on India making public the sites where U.S.-supplied nuclear reactors will be located, a final decision has yet to be taken on this in South Block.

The new Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) to be signed on Monday will cover launches involving satellites owned by U.S. government or academic institutions or by third country space agencies and universities which have U.S. equipment on board. Since the components and satellites will have to be integrated with ISRO’s launch vehicles, the TSA will provide for monitoring by the U.S. side to ensure against diversion or misuse of equipment.

In March 2006, Frontline reported that the U.S. was insisting on “a full-fledged TSA, which included restrictive movement of the payload, constant overseeing presence of U.S. escorts, and impermeable firewalls between civil and military payloads.”

According to ISRO officials, the final text of the agreement to be signed follows the standard template the U.S. negotiates with all countries. “Its provisions are essentially driven by U.S. law and India did not have much flexibility during its negotiations,” an official told The Hindu.

The agreement to be signed is apparently an umbrella one — similar to the TSA that China and the U.S. signed — with individual licensing by the State Department likely dispensed with, but India will not yet be able to enter the lucrative market for the launch of U.S. commercial satellites or third country commercial satellites with U.S. components till a separate Commercial Space Launch Agreement (CSLA) is signed. “The TSA is a necessary but not sufficient condition for commercial launches,” said an ISRO official. India and the U.S. have been working on the draft of a CSLA for some time now but there are still major differences between the two sides.

Even after a CSLA, however, ISRO will not be able to launch U.S. communications satellites since these figure in the U.S. Munitions List and require separate certification from the State Department.

A second agreement will also be signed by Mr. Krishna and Ms. Clinton on a framework for “robust result-oriented cooperation” in science and technology for “collaborative research and its commercialisation.”

Ministry of External Affairs officials say this agreement will build on the October 2005 Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement.

The Next Steps in Strategic Partnership of January 2004 envisaged an agreement to allow for the Indian launch of all U.S.-licensed satellites and third country satellites with controlled U.S. items on board but despite the absence of this, the NSSP was declared “concluded” in July 2005.

The Hindu : Front Page : Space agreement to help launch ‘India-U.S. 3.0’

 

[RPK]

ISRO plans manned flights to space by 2015

New Delhi: ISRO chief G Madhavan Nair on Sunday said the technical glitch on India's first moon mission (which has been rectified later) would not affect the country's future space missions.

Asked if the problem would dampen India's future space missions especially when it is planning to send Chandrayaan-II, Nair said, "Not at all."

Star sensor, a critical instrument on board India's only satellite orbiting the moon, failed on May 16 due to overheating and cast doubts on completion of the two-year mission launched on October 22 last year.

In an interview to a TV channel, the ISRO chief said the organisation is planning to send the first manned flight around 2015.

"There would be two men in human capsule on a seven-day mission. It will be launched from Sriharikota," he said.

On sending an Indian to moon, Nair said, "At the moment we don't have such plan."

But he strongly favoured a manned mission to moon by India, saying the US and China have declared they would like to have their men on the lunar surface by 2020.

"I do not know whether we can afford to lagging behind in that," the ISRO chairman said.

"Superiority of a nation depends on technology. Space is where the highest level of technology is being demonstrated. Today, I can say we are on par with developed nations as far as technology is concerned," Nair said.

 

[Linkin park]

ISRO preparing up to launch sun mission Aditya soon​

New Delhi, July 20, 2009: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing to launch sun mission Aditya. The outermost region of the sun is called Corona. ISRO is in the process of designing a space craft called “Aditya” to study it. It is a mini satellite. Its design is just getting completed.

The emission which are taking place in the sun and how it interacts with the ionosphere and atmosphere etc. will be studied. This usually happens during solar maxim, which is happening now.

Aditya is the first space based coronograph to study the corona. It would be the first attempt by the Indian scientific community to unravel the mysteries associated with coronal heating,coronal mass ejections and the associated space weather process. Studying these would give us a greater insight about the solar activity conditions.

The temperature of the solar corona goes beyond million degrees. During Solar eclipse the corona can be seen from the earth. Its due to the bright solar disc and the scattering of the sunlight by the earths atmosphere. To study the corona we have to go beyond the atmosphere and mask the bright solar disc.



Link:

khabrein.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23886&Itemid=88

 

[Mig-29]

Raytheon selected to deliver GPS-aided Indian Air Navigation System

The Indian Space Research Organization has awarded an $82 million contract to Raytheon Company to modernize the Indian air navigation system.

Raytheon will build the ground stations for the GPS-Aided Geosynchronous Augmented Navigation System, and ISRO will provide the space segment and additional ground equipment. GAGAN will provide satellite-based navigation for civil aviation over Indian airspace and adjoining areas in South and East Asia.

"GAGAN will be the world's most advanced air navigation system and further reinforces India's leadership in the forefront of air navigation," said Andy Zogg, Raytheon Network Centric Systems vice president of Command and Control Systems. "GAGAN will greatly improve safety, reduce congestion and enhance communications to meet India's growing air traffic management needs."

Raytheon plays a major role in designing innovative solutions for air traffic management. The company offers a broad range of automation and surveillance systems in use today in more than 50 countries around the world. GAGAN will be the newest addition to the ATM portfolio.

Raytheon is the only company that has delivered satellite-based augmentation systems that have been certified for safety-of-flight operations. The company developed the Federal Aviation Administration's Wide Area Augmentation System and was engaged in the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau's Multi-Function Transport Satellite Augmentation System.

"Our GAGAN solution addresses the four essential elements of safe air navigation: accuracy, integrity, availability and continuity," said Fritz Treyz, Raytheon Network Centric Systems director of Business Development who led the Raytheon team pursuing the GAGAN initiative.

Mr. A. S. Ganeshan, GAGAN project director of ISRO Satellite Center, has led the ISRO team.

Raytheon will continue the work it began several years ago and expects to have the GAGAN system fully functional by 2013.

Raytheon Company, with 2008 sales of $23.2 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 87 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.

 

[Linkin park]

US space deal to put Isro into higher orbit​

The technology safeguards agreement (TSA) signed by India and the US on Monday will expand satellite launch market and boost revenues for Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro).
The agreement reached between US secretary of state Hillary Clinton and external affairs minister S.M.Krishna will pave way for execution of two major contracts bagged by Isro for launch of satellites having American component and payloads.
Executive director of Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of Isro, K R Sridhara Murthi told Financial Chronicle that the Indo-US pact will enable Isro to launch civilian satellites being deployed for non-commercial purposes by third country that have US-made components. Isro can also license satellite equipment having US components aboard.
The civilian non-commercial satellites are those launched by government-owned agencies to monitor weather, natural calamities, provide health and education coverage and take up other social services through satellite link- ups.
Hitherto, the US was unwilling to allow Isro to launch either civilian satellites with American equipment or third country satellites carrying American payloads. Satellites owned by American universities and other academic institutions can also be launched by Isro.
As per the agreement, the US will retain the right to monitor movement of such satellites to ensure that its equipment having dual use is not ‘misused’ or diverted for other uses like supporting a war or creating unrest in a particular country.
Murthi said a collaborative scientific mission with French Space agency CNES – the 500-kg Megha-Tropiques satellite – will be launched later this year as per schedule. Similarly, the Algerian 200-kg, remote sensing satellite Alsat-2A having on board US equipment will also be launched in 2009-10 by Isro.
According to Isro officials, the agreement follows the standard template that the US negotiates with all countries. It is similar to the TSA that the US initialed with China recently.
However, they added that India will not be in a position to immediately enter the lucrative market for the launch of `commercial’ satellites for the US or third country pending conclusion of a separate commercial space launch agreement (CSLA) between the two.
The new dialogue architecture between the US and India with Hillary Clinton and Krishna as co-chairs provides for logically extending the TSA to CSLA.
Isro offers the homegrown PSLV to carry satellites of up to 1,700 kg into low-earth orbit at a cost that’s nearly 30 per cent cheaper vis-à-vis competing agencies and private firms such as International Launch Services and two Russian organisations, Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center and RSC Energia.
Analysts say that the satellite launch market will touch a staggering $ 145 billion by 2016. This is against an earlier estimate of $116 billion.
While India is still a fledgling competitor in the global satellite manufacturing and launch industry -- it entered this field only two years ago -- it is beginning to make a mark with cost competitiveness and flexible time schedules.
According to Antrix’s executive director, the Indian space agency has made slow but steady progress in the booming but capital-intensive satellite launch market. The segment contributed over $20 million or 10 per cent of Isro’s total revenues of Rs 1,000 crore ($208 million) during 2008-09.
Isro has so far put into space 16 foreign satellites from countries like Belgium, Canada, Korea, Germany, Japan and Indonesia, mostly riding piggyback on its own satellites.

Link:

mydigitalfc.com/companies/us-space-deal-put-isro-higher-orbit-802

 

[Screaming Skull]

Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft completes 3000 orbits around the Moon​

Chandrayaan-1, India’s first mission to Moon, launched on October 22, 2008 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, has completed eight months of successful operation and has made 3,000 revolutions around the Moon. Besides sending more than 70,000 images of the lunar surface which provide breathtaking views of lunar mountains and craters, especially craters in the permanently shadowed areas of the Moon’s polar region, Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft is also collecting valuable data pertaining to the chemical and mineral content of the Moon. Chandrayaan-1’s orbit was raised from 100 km to 200 km circular on May 19, 2009. The high orbital altitude of Chandrayaan-1 reduces the resolution of the imagery but provides a wider swath and the data is of good quality.

The onboard star sensor used for determining the orientation of the spacecraft started malfunctioning on April 26, 2009. To overcome this anomaly, ISRO devised an innovative technique of using redundant sensors – gyroscopes – along with antenna pointing information and images of specific location on the surface of the moon, for determining the orientation of the spacecraft. This method has been validated and based on this information, mission operations are being carried out satisfactorily. Other than the failure of the star sensor and one of the Bus Management Units, health of the spacecraft is normal.

Recent review by scientists has confirmed that all primary mission objectives of Chandrayaan-1 have been successfully realised during the eight months of its operation. The spacecraft continues to send high quality data as per planned sequence to its ground station at Byalalu near Bangalore. Detailed review of the scientific objectives and the performance results on the Chandrayaan-1 mission is scheduled within three months after which further operational procedures will be worked out.

It may be recalled that the primary mission of Chandrayaan-1 were:

• To realise the complex spacecraft with 11 scientific instruments
• To launch the spacecraft in near earth orbit and to carry out orbit raising manoeuvres of the spacecraft from 22,000 km to 3,84,000 km and place the spacecraft in a circular orbit around the moon
• To place the Indian Tricolour on the moon
• To carry out the imaging operation of the lunar surface and collect data on the mineral content of the lunar surface
• To realise the deep space tracking network and implement the operational procedures for travel into deep space

With the successful realisation of these objectives, additional data that will be derived during the remaining part of Chandrayaan-1’s life will be complementary to already derived information.

The data collected from Chandrayaan-1 instruments have been disseminated to the Indian scientists and also the partners from Europe and USA. The scientific community is extremely happy with the already obtained data and the results of analysis could be expected in about 6 months to 1 year period.

Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft completes 3000 orbits around the Moon

 

[sudhir007]

Govt gives green signal to GSAT-11 communication satellite

New Delhi, Jul 24 (PTI) Indian government has approved development of a Rs 500 crore advanced communication satellite to provide telecom links with small Ku-band terminals operating across the country.

A meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday night gave its nod for the design and development of GSAT-11 communication satellite, which is planned to be realised in 30 months.

The GSAT-11 is an advanced communication satellite which will be a high capacity multi-team Ku/Ka-bank spacecraft.

"The launch of GSAT-11 will augment the Ku-band capacity considerably for telecommunication services in the country," an official release said.

With 16 beams in Ku-band and frequency reuse factor of 4, it can provide 10 GHz effective bandwidth equivalent to about 22 transponders of 36 MHz, it said.

GSAT-11 employs a new 1-4K Bus.

fullstory

 

[ironman]

Isro to launch GSAT-11 with 40 transponders in 2012​

Posted: Fri, Jul 24 2009. 9:43 PM IST
K. Raghu

Bangalore: India has approved building its heaviest communication satellite so far for telecom services, with capacity equal to what it currently provides using 11 satellites.

The 4.5 tonne satellite, GSAT-11, will be launched by 2012 and carry 40 transponders in the Ku-band and Ka-band frequencies, which are 3-6 times more powerful than that used in existing communication satellites.

New mission: Isro campus in Bangalore. It will be the heaviest communication satellite so far for telecom services. Hemant Mishra / Mint

New mission: Isro campus in Bangalore. It will be the heaviest communication satellite so far for telecom services. Hemant Mishra / Mint
This can provide bandwidth capacity equivalent to as much as 220 transponders by reusing the beams in multiple regions.

India currently has 211 transponders in the 11 INSAT series satellites at their space home in the geo-synchronous transfer orbit, or GTO, some 36,000km above earth.

“This would help us address growing demand from users,” said S. Satish, spokesman for Indian Space Research Organisation, or Isro, the country’s space agency.

The cabinet on Thursday sanctioned Rs500 crore for the satellite to be built in 30 months, the government said in a statement on Friday.

The satellite will be launched by a homegrown rocket under development—GSLV Mk3—which can carry satellites of at least 4 tonne.

Most Indian satellites for telecom services and television broadcasts in orbit use the lower C-band frequency, except two satellites dedicated for direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasts that use the higher Ku-band frequency.

“The (Ka-band) beam can be targeted at a specific place. The quality of reception will be much higher,” T.K. Alex, director of Isro satellite centre in Bangalore, said in an earlier interview in June.

“This (Ka-band) will become very common in few years,” he said.

Isro will test the Ka-band technology in its forthcoming experimental satellite GSAT-4, to be launched later this year, he had said.

India aims to increase its transponder capacity to 500 during the 11th Plan, which ends in March 2012. The country plans to launch six satellites by then, some to replace its ageing satellites in orbit.

Globally, there are more than 6,000 communication transponders in space. The growth of transponder requirement in the next five years is predicted to be only moderate—about 8,000—with multimedia and high-definition television being the growth drivers, a Isro report on the 11th Plan said.