ISRO to launch EU satellite, earn $10 million

The Indian Space Research Organisation has secured a US $10 million contract to launch a satellite for the European Union. An agreement has already been signed in this respect and the spacecraft would be launched onboard India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle towards the end of next year, ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair told reporters in Bangalore today.

 

ISRO had earlier launched small payloads of foreign players as "piggyback" but this would be the first time that it would be using PSLV for the sole purpose of launching a foreign satellite. That is, the EU satellite, being produced by an Italian company, would be the sole passenger on board the PSLV.

 

Nair,

who earlier inaugurated a national seminar on integrated urban and environmental management, organised by the Environment Association of Bangalore, said negotiations were on to launch a Singapore satellite but added it had not been finalised.

 

The proposed launch of the EU satellite is seen as a result of ISRO's push towards global space marketing.

 

According to Nair, Resourcesat (ISRO's satellite's) products are being sold right across the world, and the space agency is now in discussions with European companies regarding selling other products.