Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Sunday, Jul 15, 2007
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Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Sunday, Jul 15, 2007 ePaper |
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Corporate
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Outlook Industry & Economy - Science & Technology Antrix eyes remote sensing imagery market
M. Somasekhar Hyderabad, July 14 Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of the Department of Space, is eyeing the 1-metre resolution satellite imagery and stepping up efforts to grab a bigger pie in the small satellite launch market to propel its revenues in the coming years. It has set a target of achieving a turnover between Rs 700-750 crore for the current fiscal, a growth of 10-20 per cent over last year’s figure of Rs 650 crore, according to the Executive Director, Mr K.R. Sridhara Murthi. Antrix Corporation is gearing up to tap the remote sensing imagery market through the Cartosat satellites. India is only the third country in the world to have the capability to get such high resolution picture. Market size
The remote sensing market is estimated to be around $300 million. “We have an addressable market of about $50 million. Already remote sensed products contribute about 10 per cent of the Corporation’s revenues”, Mr Murthi, who was in Hyderabad in connection with the International Astronautical Congress, slated for September, told Business Line. In the small satellite launch market, where the Indian Space Research Organisation has its ‘workhorse’ launcher PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle), Antrix Corporation hopes to get a couple of launch contracts lined up soon. It launched the 352 kg Italian satellite-Agile for a contractual amount close to Rs 50 crore in April 2007. Heavier satellite
With many countries/companies building small satellites, the Corporation is getting lots of enquires. Russia is the main competitor and major launch companies such as ArianeSpace and Lockheed Martin are not active in this segment. In the heavier (above 2.5 tonne class) satellite launch also, Antrix is negotiating with a couple of clients, Mr Sridhara Murthi said. India will attain the requisite capacity to launch heavier satellite only after the complete success of the GSL Mark III version (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle). “We expect that this launch vehicle would be ready for commercial purposes by 2009-10,” he added. Insat 4C launch
In the immediate future, Antrix is looking forward to the launch of the Insat 4C replacement satellite by ISRO in August. The satellite is expected to have 12 Ku band transponders, which Antrix is planning to lease for private players for Direct to Home. “We will also augment the transponder capacity in the C, S and Ku band to meet the demands from the public and private sector clients,” the Antrix chief said.
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