In the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, the ISRO-Devas deal came up for discussion. Bharatiya Janata Party's Venkiah Naidu wanted a discussion on the deal, but Singh said he did not know enough on the issue.
A team will look into the deal between Antrix Corporation and a private company for lease of S-band spectrum.
Devas says it has proceeded with the project after consents and approvals were obtained.
This is the first meeting of the commission since the July 2, 2010 meet, which decided to terminate the Devas-Antrix deal. The meeting will take a call on the action taken report of the last meeting.
With the launch of GSLV-MK III, slated for April, it will be able to cater to bigger satellites as well.
ISRO needs next generation launchers and new facilities to manufacture and launch them.
The agreement for cooperation in space technology was signed between Astrium and Antrix -- commercial arm of the ISRO -- entailes utilisation of the PSLV launch services. It enables Astrium to offer attractive solutions in international markets for in-orbit delivery of its earth observation satellites, using the PSLV launch services from Antrix/ISRO.
ISRO is focusing on more launches including that of a communication satellite from French Guiana next month.
This would be the 44th flight of the PSLV and the third launch by ISRO this year.
The Indian Space Research Organisation has bagged commercial contracts to build two communication satellites for European customers.
"All the 34 DTH transponders on INSAT satellites are fully booked," Antrix Corporation Executive Director K R Sridhara Murthi said.
While participation of start-ups in the space sector has largely been minimal so far, their involvement will be key towards building India's very own aerospace companies such as Maxar, Elon Musk's SpaceX and Rocket Labs, according to experts.
Billionaire and Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra along with top Silicon Valley investors Naval Ravikant and Balaji Srinivasan are backing space tech start-up Agnikul as part of a new funding round. Chennai-based Agnikul said, on Thursday, that it has raised $11 million in Series A funding round led by Mayfield India. It is the largest funding round for a private Indian space technology company in the country. Existing investors pi Ventures, Speciale Invest and Artha Venture Fund also invested in this round.
Central Administrative Tribunal on Friday dismissed former Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman G Madhavan Nair's plea, seeking quashing of the Centre's decision to debar him from holding government posts for his alleged role in the controversial Antrix-Devas deal, on the ground of maintainability.
In a most perverse example of tax bullying, someone I know has got by three such notices reopening his assessment minutes before the midnight deadline of June 30, reveals Debashis Basu.
Former Indian Space Research Organisation chief G Madhavan Nair has expressed his unhappiness over top scientist Roddam Narasimha's decision to resign. Narasimha announced his resignation from ISRO in protest against the blacklisting of Nair and three other scientists over the controversial Antrix-Devas deal. Talking to reporters, Nair said he hoped the respective authorities would be able to convince Narasimha to stay on.
In a belated action, defence public sector undertakings Bharat Electronics Limited has removed former Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman G Madhavan Nair from its Board of Directors as he was barred from holding any government post for his role in the controversial Antrix-Devas deal.
The punitive action on January 13 against four scientists of the Indian Space Research Organisation in connection with the Antrix-Devas deal leaves many questions unanswered. It does however make it apparent that there have been lacunae in the functioning of one of India's premier scientific institutions, its commercial arm, and the overseeing body.
Government on Thursday said former Indian Space Research Organisation chief G Madhavan Nair was given a "due and adequate chance" by a high-level panel to put forth his views on the action taken against him in connection with irregularities in the Antrix-Devas deal.
For the second time, the Department of Space has declined to give details on why punitive action was taken against former ISRO chief G Madhavan Nair in connection with the controversial Antrix-Devas deal, evoking a sharp reaction from the scientist who said there is "something fishy".
For the second time, the Department of Space has declined to give details on why punitive action was taken against former chief Indian Space Research Organisation G Madhavan Nair in connection with the controversial Antrix-Devas deal, evoking a sharp reaction from the scientist who said there is "something fishy".
Amid its standoff with Antrix, Devas Multimedia has witnessed a change of guard at the helm with former Indian Space Research Organisation official M G Chandrasekhar stepping down as chairman of the company.
Heralding a new era, India on Friday night launched its heaviest commercial space mission ever with its polar rocket successfully putting five British satellites into the intended orbit after a flawless takeoff.
The government is yet to take a call on former Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman G Madhavan Nair's request to the Prime Minister's Office to order an inquiry into the reasons behind annulment of the controversial Antrix-Devas deal and the procedure followed.
The Indian Space Research Organisation row has intensified with its former chief G Madhavan Nair writing to the Prime Minister's Office to order an enquiry into the reasons behind the annulment of the controversial Antrix-Devas deal and the procedure followed, in a fresh salvo at his successor K Radhakrishnan.
A top aerospace scientist has quit as the member of the Space Commission to protest the government's decision to blacklist former Indian Space Research Organisation chief G Madhavan Nair and three other scientists over the controversial Antrix-Devas deal. "We submitted the report after identifying the lapses and suggested measures to make sure that they do not happen again. We found no evidence of wrong-doing or fraud or personal gain," Professor Roddam Narasimha said.
Indian Space Research Organisation Dr Radhakrishnan, who has been accused of waging a "personal battle" against him by former ISRO chairman Madhavan Nair, refuted the latter's claims in Bengaluru on Monday. Nair and three other scientists have been barred from holding any government posts because of their alleged role in the Antrix-Devas deal, in which the private firm was allotted scarce S band spectrum by ISRO by allegedly violating rules.
A panel of the Indian Space Research Organisation on Sunday indicted former ISRO chairman Madhavan Nair and three other scientists for acts of commission in the $ 300 million spectrum deal between commercial arm of the ISRO, Antrix and Devas Multimedia Ltd. In an interview with Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa, Nair slammed the panel report and claimed that his name will soon be cleared.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday attacked the prime minister on Indian Space Research Organisation Antrix-Devas row, questioning his "silence" and demanded that he must come clean as he holds the space portfolio while the Congress said that political parties should refrain from commenting on a "legal matter".
Picking holes in the high-level team report that indicted him in the Antrix-Devas deal, former Indian Space Research Organisation chief G Madhavan Nair on Sunday said it had "inconsistencies and inaccuracies" and attacked the Department of Space headed by his successor K Radhakrishnan for "cowardice" in releasing only "convenient portions".
The murky controversy raging over damning debar on former Indian Space Research Organisation Chief and secretary of Department of Space G Madhavan Nair and three other scientists is blamed on its current chief Dr K Radhakrishnan for misleading the government in the Antrix-Devas deal probe for a sadistic revenge.
Slamming the action against four space scientists over the Antrix-Devas deal without giving them a chance to defend themselves, former Indian Space Research Organisation chief Prof U R Rao on Thursday described it as "ridiculous" and indicated it might impact decision-making process at the space agency.
Former Indian Space Research Organisation chief G Madhavan Nair and three fellow space scientists against whom the government has taken damning action in the controversial Antrix-Devas deal were "thrown out like garbage", said Prof C N R Rao, head of the Scientific Advisory Council to the prime minister.
Hurt at the action taken against him over the Antrix-Devas deal, former ISRO chief G Madhavan Nair on Wednesday accused space agency Chairman K Radhakrishnan of being behind the move and pursuing a "personal agenda" to mislead the government.
One of the advisors to Devas said the company should seek a legal option.
Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office V Narayanasamy on Sunday accused former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair of misleading the nation by saying he was not given a chance to explain his case before the high level panel which indicted him and three other space scientists in the Antrix-Devas deal.
Battling the action against him and three other top scientists in the controversial Antrix-Devas deal, former Indian Space Research Organisation chief G Madhavan Nair on Monday demanded that the order barring them from government posts should not only be revoked but an apology should be tendered by those responsible for it. "They owe an apology not to me but to the whole country. Somebody has taken the law into their hands and they have to apologise," said Nair.
Reflecting a sense of disquiet, senior ISRO scientists, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was a sad episode and the space agency's image has certainly taken a severe beating.
The law ministry has told the department of space to allow four Indian Space Research Organisation scientists "post decisional opportunity" to place their stand on its move debarring them from occupying any government position in future in the aftermath of the Antrix-Devas S Band deal.
A day after the government decided to scrap the Antrix-Devas S-Band spectrum allocation deal, Law Minister M Veerappa Moily met Home Minister P Chidambaram discussing legal ramifications of the move against the backdrop of the private company threatening to sue the government.
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