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Madhumathi D.S.

BANGALORE, May 14

THE second success with the GSLV recently has finally opened the Indian shop for geostationary satellite launchers. It, however, does not look like an easy market out there.

The national space agency ISRO, according to sources, has "approached a number of satellite operators but it will take time" to clinch a commercial GSLV launch deal. It has been in "preliminary" talks for cooperation with the US major Boeing and the US-Russian joint venture ILS (International Launch Services) — which markets Lockheed Martin's Atlas and Russia's Proton rockets. But "the global launch vehicle market itself is dull", sources in the know said.

Though there is a marketing tie-up with Arianespace for the 1.5-tonne class polar launcher PSLV, the GSLV, capable of putting 2-tonne satellites into higher orbits, will be competitor to the European major — which is into the 4 and 5-tonne class launches. ISRO will also contend with well-ensconced space transportation majors such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Russia, Japan and a recent entrant, the China Great Wall Industry Corporation.

Also, the GSLV (the indigenous geosynchronous launch vehicle meant to reach satellites to high-earth 36,000-km orbit) currently has the capacity to lift 2-tonne (2K) telecom satellites; whereas the satellite operators are into the more economical 4K slot. The obvious market would be from a few developing countries that are still in the 2K mode.

ISRO's own Insat communications satellites have moved on to nearly 3K class. This will, of course, mean about 50 per cent cheaper launches for upcoming smaller national projects such as the Edusat and the Healthsat.

India is only the sixth entrant into the elite club of satellite and launch vehicle service providers. "In the 1.3-tonne (PSLV) and the 2-tonne class GSLV, we are as good as anybody. But for (self-reliance on) the 4-tonne launcher, we will have to wait till GSLV Mk3 is ready," said Mr D. Narayana Moorthi, Director at ISRO's Launch Vehicle Programme Office. The Rs 2,500 - crore Mk3 will not be there till at least 2007. The ISRO Chairman, Dr K. Kasturirangan, recently said ISRO would be looking at a handful of 2K satellites that are in the making around the world. The launch service would be "priced attractively".

At $50-$100 million per launch depending on the size of the satellite and the operator, the global launcher market is today worth $1.5 billion a year. From a peak of 41 and 39 lift-offs in 1998 and 1999, the launcher market has slumped to 18 and 17 during 2001 and 2002. An official attributed it to general economic slide, new entrants such as China and strangely, the advanced satellite technology of compression itself. The technology enables satellite makers to squeeze in several channels into a single transponder capacity. Satellite operators went in for single `birds' of 3K or 4K instead of having two smaller ones as it was economical. The official said, "But every large bird that is launched kills three single launches. The flip side is that much space could lie idle."

Mr Narayana Moorthi said the first operational GSLV flight, named F01, should take place in a year from now with Edusat. Current plans are to have one GSLV and two PSLV launches each year. The second launch pad will be ready in a few months. Meanwhile, adequate launcher turnaround is being ensured through sourcing from industry. The indigenous cryogenic engine will replace the Russian engines in 2004-05 and go into the making of Mk2, with a third demo flight.

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