INDIA NEEDS 45 MORE SATELLITES IN ORBIT: ISRO CHIEF

Indian Space Research Organisation is looking at launching more satellites in orbit in tune with the requirements and needs of the country. Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru on Sunday ISRO Chairman K Sivan said India currently has 45 satellites in space, but needs another 45 satellites.

He said "We have satellites which are ready to be launched," he claimed, but "in the backdrop of the GSAT-6A failure, we don't want to take chances." "We're checking and re-checking satellites ready to be launched," he added. The GSAT-11 was called back from Guyana as they thought it's having problems similar to GSAT-6A.

He said agreements have been signed with three firms for manufacturing 20 satellites' but dismissed allegations of attempting to "privatize" ISRO. If privatization means "handing over the agency to some private player," there's no question of privatization, he said.

“At ISRO, we seek cooperation from industry in manufacturing parts of satellites, and this isn't something new...In this sense of the term, we want privatization to happen," he added.

He said Chandrayaan-2is nothing less than the Apollo mission' and said the mission will be launched by next year.

He said "We have faced some difficulties, because Chandrayaan-2 mission is the most complex mission attempted by ISRO so far."Of 47 lunar landings in history, 27 have failed, he said. "So we set up a committee of eminent scientists which studied the project and suggested changes," he added.

Asked about sending humans to the moon, Sivan said ISRO doesn't have any such plan now. "But we're working on the project. We're eager. But we're waiting for the right time. At the moment our focus is on satellite missions," he added.

According to ISRO the three satellites to be launched next, along with those already in orbit, will provide 100 Gbps capacity for Digital India.

ISRO is planning to have a dedicated ISRO TV channel showcasing space applications, developments and science issues and targeted at youngsters and people in remote areas in their language.

"ISRO will organise capacity building programmes for students from class 8 to 10 to inculcate scientific temper among them," ISRO chief K Sivan said.

The space agency will select students and organise training camps for 25 to 30 days, he said, adding during this period the students will be allowed to visit laboratory and make their small satellite.

“On plans to launch ISRO TV to expand its outreach across the country, the space agency chief said, "We don't have any science TV channel. This channel will inculcate scientific temper among people," he added.

The ISRO will have a yearlong Vikram Sarabhai centenary celebrations starting in August 2019 to honour visionary scientist and its legendary founding father. Sarabhai, the architect of the Indian space programme, the first ISRO chief and renowned cosmic ray scientist, was born on August 12, 1919.

Its tributes to Sarabhai start with naming the first Indian Moon landing spacecraft of the Chandrayaan-2 mission Rs Vikram'. The mission is planned for January 2019.

“A chair each at Sarabhai's alma maters Cambridge University and Gujarat University, and MIT would be set up apart from giving awards, scholarships and fellowships in the country and abroad,” said ISRO Chairman K. Sivan .

Earlier, former Chairman K. Kasturirangan unveiled a new bust of Sarabhai at the remodelled atrium of ISRO headquarters, Antariksh Bhavan, amidst a gathering of heads and staff of ISRO centres. Dr. Sivan said 100 lectures by science luminaries would be held across the country and in association with global space networking body, the International Astronautically Federation. Space clubs, knowledge centres, talk shows and awards are among the plans.

"We are opening our space port to visitors just as NASA does. We are preparing separate systems for visitor entries. Selected students of classes 8 to 10 will be the trained at ISRO for a month and taken to various laboratories and centres across the country. Making of student satellites would be encouraged. We want to instil scientific temper and interest in space developments in youngsters," Dr. Sivan said.