A Quantum Leap For India's Commercial Launch Service

Abstract: India’s trusted four-stage space workhorse, PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) has an excellent track record of launching satellites of international customers on commercial terms with a high degree of reliability and precision. Not surprisingly then the  16^th December PSLV mission designated PSLV-C29, by successfully delivering into orbit six  satellites from Singapore, has once again demonstrated its robust multiple-launch capability. A large part of the revenue earned by the Bangalore-based Antrix Corp, the commercial arm of the Indian space programme, is accounted for by the fee earned through the commercial launch missions of PSLV.

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In a quantum leap for India’s commercial satellite launch service, a dedicated commercial mission of the four-stage, trusted space workhorse, PSLV(Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) successfully orbited six satellites from Singapore into a 550-km circular orbit, in its thirty seconds flight on 16^thDecember 2015. After a smooth-lift off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), the Indian spaceport in Sriharikota island, about 90-kms to the north of Chennai, PSLV released six satellites into orbit one by one to complete the entire exercise in 21 minutes. Moments after the successful accomplishment of this PSLV mission, a jubilant A S Kiran Kumar, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said, “We have completed  our major set of activities for this year and we look forward to 2016 for sending more communications, navigation and earth observation satellites with greater vigour. We have lot more to achieve.” The Indian Parliament was informed that this full-fledged, PSLV commercial mission has earned for India 26-million euros. Incidentally, this 50^th space mission of ISRO coincided with celebration of the 50^th year of independence by the city state of Singapore.       

 The PSLV-C29 mission of16^th December carried TeLEOS-1 weighing 400 kg as the primary payload whereas the other five satellites were co-passengers. The five co-passengers were: VELOX CI (123 kg) micro-satellite; VELOX II(13kg)6U-Cubesat; Athenoxat 1 technology demonstrator nano-satellite; Kent Ridge-1(78 kg)micro-satellite;  and Galassia(3.4kg) 2U Cubesat. While TeLEOS-1 is a remote sensing satellite built by ST Electronics, the five co-passenger satellites were from Singapore Universities. These satellites will help Singapore gather data of immense relevance to disaster monitoring and urban planning. Significantly, these satellites are designed to take snap shots of Singapore once every 100-minutes and track threats in the sea and air as well as natural disasters across the region.

This was the eleventh flight of PSLV driven by alternate liquid and solid fuel-driven stages in its core alone configuration sans its usual strap-on boosters. With this launch, PSLV has achieved the record of orbiting as many as 57 satellites of international customers on commercial terms.  This is for the sixth time that the PSLV was deployed for launching only foreign satellites on commercial terms. ISRO describes PSLV as a proven vehicle with a superb track record of reliability in delivering the payloads into the precise orbit. PSLV has also on hand a contract for launching two weather-watch satellites belonging to the Maryland-based commercial weather satellite operator PlanetiQ. These two weather-watch satellites forming a part  of the fleet of 12-18 satellites weighing 10kg each, will feature a sensor to collect weather data on a global scale.

In this context, Chris McCormick, Chairman and CEO of PlanetiQ said, “The stellar track record of  the PSLV combined with over seven years satellite design life provides the reliability and data continuity not just desired but required by the operational weather forecast community.”  

Significantly, 28^th September successful PSLV mission had for the first time orbited four US made satellites belonging to the operator, Spire Global  as piggyback payloads on commercial terms. The launch of four identical US nano satellites with a total weight of 28kg was a part of the  contract to launch nine US nano/micro satellites as piggyback payloads  on-board the PSLV flights during 2015-16 timeframe. As it is, USA had imposed sanctions on ISRO in early 1990s for its efforts to get the cryogenic propulsion technology from Russia for the three stage GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle).

In 2008,PSLV created a sort of history for most number of satellites placed in orbit by launching as many as ten satellites in one go. Moreover, PSLV is versatile enough to accomplish missions to low earth,sun-synchronous/polar and geostationary orbits. As it is, an augmented version of the vehicle designated PSLV-XL was deployed for launching India’s maiden probe to moon Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and Mangalyaan Mars Orbiter Mission(MOM) to the Red Planet in 2013.

Bangalore-headquartered Antrix  Corp,set up in 1992  as the commercial arm of the  Indian space programme  with a focus on marketing  products and services to  both the Indian and global customers, has notched up a revenue around Rs18,600 million  during 2014-15 and is aiming for Rs20,000 million during 2015-16.Launch services account for a major share of Antrix’s revenue.       

PSLV, which has suffered just a solitary partial failure, has launched a total of 90 satellites through thirty one successful flights spanning the period between 1994 and 2015. The 28^thSeptember PSLV mission delivered a luggage weighing a total of 1631kg into the intended orbits, thereby proving the robustness of this launch vehicle. Meanwhile, the German environmental satellite Enmap weighing 900kg will be launched by a commercial flight of PSLV before end 2017.

The portfolio of Indian commercial launch service offered by Antrix will be expanded with the deployment of the three stage Mark-II version of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-MKII) equipped with a home grown upper cryogenic engine stage once it enters operational phase. The GSLV-MKII, carrying an Indian cryogenic engine stage, has already logged two successful flights. The operationalization of GSLV-MKII, that could carry a satellite payload weighing upto 2.5 tons into a geo-stationary transfer orbit, will help India end its dependence on procured launch services, that comes at an enormous cost to the public exchequer, and get its INSAT/GSAT spacecraft weighing upto 2.5-tons off the ground. On the other hand, India could earn a substantial foreign exchange by offering the services of GSLV-MKII on commercial terms to the international customers. Further into the future, the heavy lift GSLV-MKIII capable of lofting a 4-tonne class satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit,expected to become operational before the end of this decade, will become a part of the commercial launch service portfolio of Antrix. One of the factors hindering the expansion of India’s satellite launch business would be the limitations imposed on by the availability of a solitary launch complex—Satish Dhawan Space Centre(SDSC) in Sriharikota island on India’s eastern coast—under the command of the Indian space agency. Clearly, India would need to build a second launch complex with a view to step up the frequency of satellite launch missions with quick turn-around time.    

For placing its satellite launch business on a firm footing, ISRO would need to step up its capability for building and delivering launch vehicles with a vastly enhanced  frequency to ensure quicker turnaround time for space missions. And to this end, ISRO is working on a plan to encourage Indian industries to float consortiums to deliver satellites and launch vehicles in a ready to use conditions. Currently, about 500 Indian industrial units, both in the private and public sectors, are actively participating in the Indian space programme by supplying hardware and services for various ISRO projects.

The  proposed industrial consortiums that would take up the challenge of supplying satellites and launch-vehicles in a fully finished condition would  need to be supported by ancillary industries housed in dedicated parks or special economic zones and fine-tuned to supply space qualified components and subsystems along with the requisite engineering services. Of course, ISRO would need to do a handholding to prepare the Indian industry to take up the challenge of building fully integrated satellites and launch vehicles.  Incidentally, the success of the European commercial space vehicle Ariane which today accounts for around 60% of the global market for commercial satellite launches, is not little due to the active participation of the European industry.

Meanwhile, as part of the Indian space diplomacy projected  by the  Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a dedicated  satellite meant  for the exclusive use of  countries in the SAARC region  is  planned  to be launched by 2016-end. This satellite, being designed and developed by the  Satellite Centre of ISRO in Bengaluru will be configured to make available  weather-watch and communications services. Moments after the 30^thJune 2014 successful mission of PSLV, while addressing the Indian space scientists at the Sriharikota launch complex, Modi  highlighted the need for India to build and  launch a satellite configured to meet the specific requirements  of  SAARC countries. He was keen that this satellite should be India’s gift to its neighbours.

For taking India’s space business enterprise to the next level of growth, the potentials of the Make in India campaign of the Prime Minister Modi need to be harnessed by ISRO in a big way. The reputation which ISRO has already built up in terms of developing a range of technologies at a highly affordable cost could be the trump card for boosting India’s space commerce prospects in the international arena. Now is the time for India to aim for sky and reach for stars by exploring new frontiers for its space business opportunities.

Views expressed by the Author are personal.