The Hindu Business Line : ISRO to outsource satellite production

In outsourcing mode
In the next five years, the space agency foresees outsourcing 8-10 small to mid-sized satellites ranging from 300 kg to 2000 kg, based on market demand.

Bangalore , March 21

There is a new player in the outsourcing space. National space agency, ISRO, wants to wriggle out of production of communications satellites — both for domestic use and export. It is not yet letting go of remote sensing satellites.

As per a soon-to-be-unveiled roadmap, qualifying industries will get into satellite-making using their manpower and facilities. ISRO will train them at its centres and lend its time-tested design, drawings and testing facilities. It would be part of the first outsourced satellite project, according to one of ISRO's directors.

In the next five years, the space agency foresees outsourcing 8-10 small to mid-sized satellites ranging from 300 kg to 2000 kg, based on market demand. Only in January, it clinched its first joint export order with co-bidder EADS Astrium to make the W2M satellite for EADS of Europe.

Corporate houses such as Godrej, the Tatas, L&T, HAL, MTAR and a host of 500 SMEs are supplying critical systems, parts for the spacecraft and liquid propulsion launch vehicles already. Many more big players could emerge out of this exercise, another official said. The indigenisation programme that began over a decade ago has got larger, the official said.

ISRO has so far built nearly 25 satellites for weather, earth imaging, and telecommunication and broadcasting uses. "In 2-3 years, we want the private industry to take over production of commercial satellites from us, leaving ISRO free to focus on R&D and pursue new technologies," the director told Business Line.

In the last 7-8 years, the 17,000-strong HR pool has remained static or dipped, while the number of satellites has only grown. "Our scientists are forced to concentrate on routine production," the director said. "We don't want our facilities like ISAC (the Satellite Centre at Bangalore) to become a factory. We build, launch, monitor, operate satellites, and do virtually everything. To us, communication satellites have become a routine — it's the same battery, propulsion, solar panel, thermal system and structures; we want to farm it all out."

That is what NASA and its European counterpart ESA do too.

More Stories on : Outsourcing | Science & Technology

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Normal monsoon likely

Maharashtra scraps stamp duty on non-local brokers

ISRO to outsource satellite production

BSNL sets deadline for Net backbone project

IPTV set-tops: Motorola in talks with Reliance

ONGC to revamp facilities in Assam

Teledata plans to demerge businesses

Capital account convertibility: What would it mean for you?

Sensex strolls past 11,000 points

No clarity on Jet-Sahara issue

Telecom billing to be audited every year

Low returns post-IPO scaring away investors

Nripendra Misra is new TRAI chief