India may emerge as global satellite launch hub as President Bush gives nod to allow satellites with US parts to be launched by Indian rockets.
BANGALORE: India could emerge as a global satellite launch hub with President Bush giving the nod to allow satellites with American components to be launched by Indian rockets.
A joint statement by Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said they had committed to permit US satellites to be launched in India opening up new opportunities for commercial space cooperation between the two countries. In 2004, American satellite firm Boeing had explored with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to jointly build and market two tonne satellites that would be launched from the Satish Dhawan spaceport in Sriharikota. But, Boeing backed off citing lack of market opportunities and tight US control norms that hindered the deal.
"This would allow India to gain a bigger share in global satellite market at competitive terms," former Space Commission chief Prof U R Rao told DNA.
"It is a step forward and a win-win situation for both the nations. The Boeing contract did not work out due to the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) act. Now, they can come back and also other American satellite firms," Space commission member Prof Roddam Narasimha said.
Boosted by the low-cost high quality space programme, ISRO is aiming to capture about 10% of the global satellite launch market over the next five years.
Bush and Singh welcomed the U.S. Department of Commerce's plan to exempt items that would require an export license to end-users in India engaged solely in civilian activities. Among the beneficiaries would be ISRO, which can source components for satellites from the US freely.
"Our meteorological satellites are the only ones in the region to track climatic conditions in the Indian Ocean. If the US wants to do some calculations on weather pattern, they need our inputs," Narasimha said of other benefits of the new pact. The Bush visit will also see the signing of the pact to carry two American scientific instruments in India's moon mission Chandrayan-1.
The US plans to put a synthetic aperture radar that can map the moon's terrain despite hostile atmosphere and a hyper spectral imaging camera for high resolution pictures of specific areas, aboard India's moon craft.
Chandrayan-1 involves sending a satellite weighing 525 kg on a polar orbit 100 kms above the moon with a lifespan of 2 years. The mission to be launched by 2007 is intended to develop a chemical map of the moon, with three-dimensional atlas of specific regions of high interest.
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