"We need to streamline the PSLV series and we are trying to get into more number of launches per year by increasing the capacity within in the country," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman A S Kiran Kumar said.
"We are working towards some mechanism where industry-ISRO partnership will enable us to increase the number of launches per year to almost 12-18 per year in the coming years," he said.
On developing a three-stage PSLV, he said, "Not exactly... One of the things we will be constantly addressing is how to reduce the cost of accessing space and these studies are addressing on what methods to reduce cost of launching satellite and that will be our continuous endeavour."
Noting that PSLV was a versatile launch vehicle which can do different jobs and put satellites in different orbits, he said streamlining of this operation with improved capabilities is on.
Kumar said work is on to launch the South East Asian
satellite (previously SAARC and now SEA as Pakistan has backed out) by the December to March time frame.
He said the next launch would be PSLV C-35 which would have Scatsat, the primary satellite with scatterometer enabling ocean wind vector information, weather monitoring and forecast activity.
Kumar said the GSAT-18 launch is now slated for September instead of July 12 as a satellite that was to be launched had problems.
ISRO would also look at whether it could overcome limitations in the performance of GSLV Mark 2 and 3 and if it could build some features in this regard, he said.
Kumar said India has 35 satellites of which 13 are communication, 13 earth observation and 7 navigational. "Our assessment is we need to double this number for meeting various requirements of the country and towards that our work will be progressing."
"We have the current generation of earth observation satellite of Cartosat 2 series," he said, adding ISRO has done a 'wonderful job'.
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