Isro launched 28 satellites for international customers from Jan 2013 to Dec 2015

The space agency commercial arm Antrix has earned revenue of Euro 80.6 million

In the last three years starting from January 2013 to December 2015, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) a total of 28 International customer satellites belonging to 9 countries.

MoS (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER) and MoS for Prime Minister Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Jitendra Singh said in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on Thursday that Antrix Corporation Limited (Antrix), commercial arm of Isro, has earned revenue of Euro 80.6 million through launching of these 28 international customer satellites. While, the Cryogenic Rocket Development Programme is funded by the Centre.

The countries for which Isro has launched satellites includes Austria (2), Canada (5), Denmark (1), France (1), Germany (1), Indonesia (1), Singapore (7), UK (6), USA (4).

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These satellites were launched onboard India's PSLV under the commercial arrangement entered into between Antrix.

As part of Space Cooperation between India and Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), Isro at the behest of Government of India is working towards the establishment of a Satellite Tracking & Data Reception Station and Data Processing Facility in Vietnam for Asean Member countries.

This facility is intended to acquire and process IRS Satellite data pertaining to Asean region and disseminate to Asean Member countries, said the union minister.

Under this initiative, all Asean member countries will be allowed to access processed remote sensing data pertaining to their country.

Ground facility is designed in such a way that it will not allow Indian data to be accessed and processed by the system, he said.

In 2016, Isro plans to realise the constellation of Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, two earth observation satellites with improved capabilities viz. Cartosat-2C & Resourcesat-2A, (iii) an advanced communication satellite GSAT-18, (iv) two weather satellites namely INSAT-3DR for meteorological observations and SCATSAT-1 for wind vector measurements and (v) development of heavy lift launcher GSLV Mk III to build indigenous capability in launching 4-tonne class satellites.