Isro TV channel to go live in a few months
13 Aug 2018
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Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is all set to launch its own television channel as part of its outreach progrmme and the Isro TV will go on air in a few months, chairman K Sivan said on Sunday.
Sivan said Isro had also identified 50 satellites to be launched in the next three years — including the moon mission Chandrayaan-2, sun mission Aditya L1, GSAT-29 to boost Digital India mission and replacement satellites for ageing ones and failed missions, among others.
"The space agency has a tight schedule ahead, as we are targeting nine launches over the next five months and 22 missions from February to December in 2019, aiming at two per month," the Isro chairman told reporters in Bangalore on Sunday on the sidelinres of a space conference.
Isro TV will focus on space and science activities and will aim at people especially in the rural areas who are not being served. “We want to reach out to them in local languages,” Sivan said.
Isro will also undertake a students programme, as part of its outreach activities. “We will select students studying in classes 8 to 10. These students will be trained by Isro for 25-30 days during which they can visit our labs and also make small satellites,” Sivan said.
Also, Isro will open the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota to the public to watch satellite launches.
Sivan said that the ISRO had identified 50 satellites to be launched in the next three years — the moon mission Chandrayaan-2, sun mission Aditya L1, GSAT-29 to boost Digital India mission and replacement satellites for ageing ones and failed missions, among others.
The tentative launch date for Chandrayaan-2 is 3 January and its lander will be named after Vikram Sarabhai, the father of Indian space programme.
“We have a tight schedule. We need to launch 24 satellites in a year,” he said. In May 2019, Isro will also carry out the demonstration flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle whose mission cost would be a tenth of PSLV.
"It will be an on-demand launcher, requiring minimum infrastructure, and can be readied for launch within 72 hours, as against a PSLV rocket which requires 45-60 days before the launch," Sivan added.
Once designed by mid-2019, the SSLV production will be taken over by the industry through Isro commercial arm Antrix, he added.
Through another demo flight next year, ISRO will test the reusability of a rocket by testing the landing capacity.
Isro, he said, is looking to outsource the making of PSLV rockets to industry by next year, Sivan said, adding, "The maiden flight of the rocket made by Indian industry will be in 2019-20."
