ISRO to launch 3 Singapore satellites

In 2nd dedicated mission, NSIL to launch 3 Singapore satellites by the end of June

PSLV c53

BENGALURU: Space PSU NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) will be launching a batch of satellites from Singapore by the end of this month, while another mission involving a west Asian country is in the pipeline.

The TOI was the first to report (on May 25) that NSIL would launch at least two missions involving foreign satellites this year, and that the first was expected to happen in a matter of weeks onboard Isro's workhorse PSLV.

According to sources, the three satellites from Singapore, including the main earth observation satellite, will together weigh a little more than 500kg, which is about half the capacity Isro’s PSLV can put into orbit.

"The launch will be on the PSLV-C53 mission and our customer has purchased the whole launch vehicle,” one NSIL sources said, adding that the date for launch has already been fixed and a formal announcement will be made soon.

PSLV-core-alone

The mission will see PSLV in a core-alone configuration, which means that only the core stages of the rocket will be used and there will be no strap-on boosters.

NSIL CMD Radhakrishnan D told TOI: “The Singapore mission is our second dedicated mission after Brazil’s Amazonia-1. We cannot reveal more details at this juncture.” The PSU launched Amazonia-1 on February 28, 2021.

As per Centre’s proposed Space reforms, NSIL’s mandate was expanded to undertake operational satellite missions on a ‘demand driven’ model, wherein the Space PSU has the responsibility to build/procure, launch, own and operate the satellite besides providing services to its committed customer.

In line with this, the union cabinet, on June 8, approved the transfer of 10 in-orbit communication satellites from Government of India (Gol) to the Space PSU. It also approved increasing NSIL’s authorised share capital from Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 7,500 crore.

Radhakrishnan said: “This will allow NSIL to indulge in capex funding for demand driven projects and fulfil its mandate set by the Centre as part of its space reforms.”

The Centre says that the transfer of these assets will further provide NSIL the desired financial autonomy to realise capital intensive programmes and thereby offer huge employment potential and technology spin-off to other sectors of the economy.

Further, as reported by TOI earlier, GSAT-24, a dedicated satellite for Tata Play’s (formerly TataSky) direct-to-home (DTH) services, will be launched by NSIL using French firm Arianespace’s Arianne-5 rocket, on June 22. The satellite has already reached the launchpad in French Guiana and integration work is ongoing.