The Hindu Business Line : ISRO-built communication satellite launched

Bangalore, Dec. 21 National space agency ISRO has stormed into the global satellite export market. W2M, its first communications satellite export jointly bid with EADS Astrium, was put into space on an European launcher on Sunday morning, adding yet another feather to ISRO’s cap.

The contract, executed in 26 months, fetched ISRO $33 million (around Rs 165 crore) including its margin, Mr S. Satish, spokesman and Director, P&PR, ISRO, told Business Line. At 3.46 tonnes, W2M is also the heaviest satellite that ISRO has ever built on its platform, with payload from Astrium.

ISRO is making another satellite called HYLAS, also won with Astrium, for UK’s Avanti Screen Media, and will be launched next year. The two projects, according to him, open a new commercial opportunity marked by ISRO’s quality and delivery record and the cost advantage. Projects outsourced to India are said to cost 30-50 per cent lower than in the West.

Launch

W2M is a communications satellite built for Paris-based Eutelsat Communications. It was launched on Sunday at 4.05 a.m. IST on the European Ariane-5 rocket from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, South America, an ISRO release said.

It was launched along with another Eutelsat project, HotBird. The ISRO Chairman, Mr G. Madhavan Nair, was in Kourou with seven Indian scientists to watch W2M’s launch.

W2M carries 32 high-power Ku-band transponders for telecommunications and broadcasting services over Europe, West Asia and North Africa and has a life of 15 years. ISRO’s commercial arm, Antrix Corporation and Astrium jointly bid for the contract after an accord signed between Antrix and the French Government in February 20, 2006.

Astrium took care of the overall programme management and delivery of the communications payload.

Antrix and ISRO provided the satellite bus and performed W2M’s integration and testing at ISRO’s facilities in Bangalore.

Antrix/ISRO is also responsible for the satellite’s Launch and Early Orbit Phase operations being conducted from the Master Control Facility at Hassan. The operations include stabilising the satellite, reaching it to its final orbital slot and deployment of its appendages.

A release said 32 minutes after its lift-off, W2M reached the intended geosynchronous transfer orbit and sent out radio signals to Hassan indicating its good health.

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