India’s premier space agency ISRO plans to undertake 58 satellite and launch vehicle missions in the 12th Five year period and sees larger role for industries in realising these ventures.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K Radhakrishnan said India had done 10-13 missions in each of the 8th, 9th and 10th plan period, and completed 29 in the 11th five-year Plan period 2007-12. “So, that was a quantum jump. During 2012-17, we are planning about 60 missions,” Radhakrishnan, also Secretary in the Department of Space and Space Commission Chairman, said here.
To be precise, ISRO proposes to undertake 33 satellites and 25 launch vehicles missions. “Some 25 missions have been lined up in the next two years itself,” the ISRO chief said. Asked of the cost of these missions, he said in the 11th Plan ISRO had an allocation of about Rs 20,000 crore, Plan and non-plan put together.
“That (the funds required for realising the 58 missions) will get finalised through discussions in the coming months,” he said. Radhakrishnan said the role of industries in realising the missions would go up, particularly in the area of value addition, and their responsibility would be larger. ISRO’s outsourcing of the Indian space programme presently is about 50-60 per cent — mainly in the areas of supply of components and fabrication, among others, to some 500 firms.
“Today we have Indian industries working with us but each one looks at specific elements of it (the space programme). A couple of them started next level of integration. So, what we are working with industries now is how to enhance the role of industry in realising PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) (and also in building satellites),” he said.
Radhakrishnan sees larger role for industries in space programme going forward. “Value addition (by industries in these programmes) will go up. (Their) role will go up. Responsibility will be larger.” Right now, contribution of industries is at the “first level but we are getting into larger assembly (by industries). Finally rocket and satellite. May not be 100 per cent (industries will not do all work). But closer to that. That’s what we are expecting,” he said.
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The former ISRO chief G Madhavan Nair had criticised the plan for a Mars mission which was cleared by the Union cabinet. The Mars mission should not have been a priority at this stage for India which, instead, ought to have devoted time and energy on getting its rocket operational again and give momentum to the human space flight programme, former ISRO chief G Madhavan Nair said.
“My personal opinion is: this (Mars mission) is not a big priority project for us. We should have concentrated more on qualifying the cryogenic engine (for GSLV-Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) and make our manned mission initiative move forward,” Nair said here.
The Union Cabinet last week gave go-ahead to the Mars mission, clearing the proposal of Department of Space to put a satellite in an orbit around Mars to study the Red Planet.
Nair, who accomplished 25 successful missions during his tenure of six years as Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Secretary in the Department of Space, argued that for India, the manned mission (human space flight programme) is the “immediate priority”.
“That’s where the big gap is. The United States space shuttle has failed and they don’t have a launch vehicle. Only Russians have an operating system. China went to the extent of creating a mini (space) station,” he said.
“So, in that race India is lagging behind and unless we give a major thrust to Indian manned mission, I think we will be left behind.” Nair said India’s proposed Mars mission is “only a very small payload with not very big scientific objective”.
“We cannot say we can make an impact even nationally or internationally in that (Rs 450 crore Mars mission). Terming the Mars mission as a “peripheral thing”, he said ISRO should, instead, spend its time and energy on qualifying the indigenous cryogenic engine and stage for GSLV (rocket) as also for GSLV-Mk III, which is being developed to carry four-tonne class of satellites.