ISRO to tap US satellite launch market post tech agreement

Bangalore: The Indo-US Technology Safeguard Agreement (TSA) signed recently will now allow India to launch non-commercial, US-made satellites from its spaceport at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, according to ISRO chief G Madhavan Nair. A proposed Commercial Space Launch Agreement will allow the commercial segment of the US market to be tapped.

''Space cooperation with the US has been high on the government agenda. We have negotiated and signed the TSA with the US state department to enable us to launch US-made satellites and satellites carrying US components on commercial terms,'' Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman G Madhavan Nair told a news agency.

The agreement was signed 20 July in the course of US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton's visit to New Delhi.

Earlier, clearance was granted on a case-by-case basis by the US administration.

According to Nair, the TSA will ease formalities and ISRO will now provide launch services on mutually agreeable commercial terms, managed by its commercial and marketing arm, Antrix.

ISRO's workhorse launcher, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the heavier Geo-synchronous Satellite Vehicle (GSLV) are perfectly equipped to cater to range of satellites from micro to heavier 2.5 tonnes variety. A subsequent generation of GSLVs will carry still larger 4-tonne satellites into space.