ISRO, DAE aim big in 2017 after Antrix case and missing out on NSG bid

Simultaneous launch of 83 satellites and the fast breeder reactor going critical are the key goals

The simultaneous launch of 83 satellites and the fast breeder reactor going critical are some of the targets set by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), respectively, as they look forward to 2017 to put behind the lows of this year — losing the Antrix Devas case and missing out on the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is aiming at a major feat in January with the launch of nearly 83 satellites, 80 of them being foreign, at one go.

"We are also launching GSLV Mark III and five communication satellites next year, including the South Asian satellite," ISRO chairman and Department of Space Secretary A S Kirankumar told PTI.

Launching of GSLV Mark III will be a crucial development in the country's space history.

"Next year, we are hopeful that the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor goes critical," said Sekhar Basu, Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission and DAE Secretary.

If India achieves success in the project, which has been on for over two and a half decades now, it will become the first country to successfully execute the project. It will also see India graduating to a second stage in its nuke energy programme.

The year 2016 saw ISRO launching several satellites, with a major achievement being the completion of the constellation of regional navigation satellites. The year also recorded ISRO's feat of launching 20 satellites at one go.

Apart from this, the space agency also launched GSAT-18, RESOURCESAT-2A, Cartosat-2 Series Satellites for communication, agriculture and weather-related works respectively.

The country's space agency also experimented with projects that would have a long-term impact on its future missions.

For instance, the successful tests of the Reusable Launch Vehicles, capable of launching satellites into orbit around earth and then re-enter the atmosphere, from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

India also joined a select club of nations by successfully test-firing its futuristic Scramjet Rocket Engine using oxygen from the atmosphere.

However, its achievements were marred by a few jolts. The space agency lost a major case in the Antrix-Devas deal, where ISRO has been asked to cough up several million dollars by a Permanent Court of Arbitration tribunal based in the Hague.

The prime minister's ambitious SAARC satellite project also suffered a setback after Pakistan backed out of the endeavour. The satellite, which was to be launched this month, has now been renamed as the South Asian Satellite. 

ISRO also signed several international cooperation agreements with France, UAE, the US and Israel.

For the DAE, 2016 was a significant year as Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant unit 2 got operational. It also became an associate member of the prestigious organisation CERN, which is the world's largest nuclear and particle physics laboratory.

However, it also saw Kakrapar Nuclear Power Station unit 1 detecting a radioactive leak, raising concerns over the safety of atomic reactors in the country.

A major setback for India was not getting a berth in the 48-member NSG bloc. India has been trying hard to become a member of the coveted group, entry of which will give DAE access to critical technologies in the atomic sector.

However, despite the backing of France, the US, the UK, Russia, Australia, Japan and several member countries, India's bid was opposed by China.

China has been insisting that only Non-Proliferation Treaty-signatory nations should be a part of the group.

Another major feather in the cap was the signing of the Indo-Japan nuclear deal. After much negotiations stretching over the last few years, the two countries managed to crack the deal, without succumbing to the stringent norms laid down by Japan.

The advantage for India in this would be that the deal is expected to have far-reaching impact on future nuclear projects as India can now import equipment needed for the projects.

Manufacturing such equipment in India or procuring them from other parts of the globe other than Japan would have increased the cost.

In a significant move aimed at putting an end to the contentious nuclear liability issue and assuage suppliers' concerns, India also ratified the Convention of Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage, marking an important step in addressing matters related to civil nuclear liabilities.