Isro to spend Rs 6,000 crore in 2014-15

The investment is a part of the Rs 39,570-crore outlay for various programmes for the 12th Five Year Plan

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) plans to spend around Rs 6,000 crore in 2014-15 on its space and research programme.

The investment will be part of the Rs 39,570 crore outlay allocated for the various programmes from 2012 to 2017, by the Centre to carry out various programmes, said Isro chairman K Radhakrishnan.

He said, during the first year of the plan period, Rs 3,650 crore was spent, and in the second year it was increased to Rs 4,000 crore. In 2014-15 the plan is to spend around Rs 6,000 crore, said Radhakrishnan.

The number of missions planned by Isro during the period number around 60, he said.

On the spend on navigation satellites, he said, Isro had budgeted around Rs 1,000-1,300 crore on navigation satellites.

Radhakrishnan said, the money will be spent on satellite system, including placing seven satellites in the orbit and two systems on the ground. The other investment will be on the launch vehicle. While PSLV XL version would cost around Rs 125-130 crore, the other vehicle would cost around Rs 115 crore.

So far, Isro has launched two satellites of the constellation, one last year, and Radhakrishnan, adding that two more IRNSS (1C and 1D) will be launched in 2014. That will enable accurate measurements on the ground..

Three more satellites will be launched in the beginning of 2015 and by mid-2015.

Private  sector hand
Isro also said soon it would arrive at a business model to increase private sector participation in space programmes. Private sector participation will help Isro focus on its other core activities.

Radhakrishnan, said: “We are working on a possible model for investment, sharing of technology and responsibility with industry. The response from industry — public and private — has been positive so far. It will take three or four years to arrive at a model.”

Nearly 400 companies, including large, medium and micro, are working with Isro to manufacture launch vehicles. Some fabricate and test a stage while some assemble them.

To a question if the model will be a public-private-participation (PPP), he said: “I don’t want to say one model. We will have a model that will work in India.”

Stars, sun to be studied
Isro also said that it plans to study the stars and the Sun, and is developing satellites for the same.

A S Kiran Kumar, director of Space Applications Centre (SAC), Isro, said: "The satellite Astrosat (which will study stars) is being readied and it will have three aspects — UV rays, visible and x-rays. Even Hubble does not have this aspect. While Hubble is big, Astrosat will be a small one."

He noted, while the lens of Hubble had 2.4 metre diameter, Astrosat's would be 300 mm. The satellite is expected to be launched sometime next year.

The other project involves launching the Aditya satellite to study the Sun, and he said work was progressing on that mission and the launch is expected in three to four years.

On India’s first interplanetary spacecraft, Mars Obiter Mission, Radhakrishnan, said: “The mission is progressing well and performance is satisfactory.”.

A S Kiran Kumar said, at present it was around 35 million kms from the Earth's orbit.

“As planned, it will reach Mars on September 24, 2014,” said Kumar. Mars Orbiter was launched on November 5, 2013 from Sriharikota.

Isro, which launched a GSLV with indigenous cryogenic engine is planning an experimental launch of GSLV Mark III in June, said Radhakrishnan.

A PSLV, carrying a French satellite SPOT 7 and four other foreign satellites will also be launched in the same month, he said.