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South Asian Satellite
India\'s ambitious South Asian satellite, proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the benefit of SAARC members, will be launched in March next year, according to ISRO Chairman A S Kiran Kumar.
India's ambitious South Asian satellite, proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the benefit of SAARC members, will be launched in March next year, according to ISRO Chairman A S Kiran Kumar.
South Asian Association for Region Cooperation (SAARC) comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, works for promoting peace, stability, amity and progress in the region through strict adherence to the principles of the UN Charter and non-alignment, particularly respect for the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, national independence, non-use of force and non-interference in the internal affairs of other States and peaceful settlement of all disputes. India is the only country in the SAARC that has the capability to launch and operate satellites in space.
One month after sworn in as Prime Minister of India, in June 2014 Modi asked ISRO to develop a SAARC satellite, which can be dedicated as a ‘gift’ to the neighbours. He asked the scientists to work on a satellite that would provide full range of applications and services to all of India’s neighbours.
Modi, during the SAARC summit in Nepal in November 2014, had announced launching of a SAARC satellite as a gift for the benefit of members of the regional grouping in various fields, including telecommunication and tele-medicine. Since Pakistan has 'opted out' of the project, it is now being called South Asian satellite. Afghanistan and Bangladesh have also not shown interest. The satellite was desired to be in space by December 2016.
It is proposed to build a satellite with 12 Ku-band transponders and launch using Indian Geostationary Launch Vehicle GSLV Mk-II. The total cost of launching the satellite is estimated to be about Rs 235 crore. The cost associated with the launch will be met by Government of India.
The proposed satellite enables full range of applications and services in the areas of telecommunication and broadcasting applications viz television (TV), direct-to-home (DTH), very small aperture terminals (VSATs), tele-education, tele-medicine and disaster management support.
On GSLV Mark III likely to be launched in December, the ISRO Chairman said preparations were on in "full swing." Launching of GSLV Mark III will be a crucial development in the country’s space history. The launch vehicle is likely to be sent in the space by December end.
