The ISRO is bracing up for one satellite launch every month in the days ahead and has 22 satellite launches lined up for the near future, said M. Annadurai, Director, ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC).

Speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of an interaction programme with students of Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering organised by the CII Mysuru chapter here on Saturday, Mr. Annadurai said space assets had limited life and their requirement from ATMs to telemedicine and every conceivable aspect of present day living had made it imperative to keep them functional.

“While 22 satellites have been lined up and are in the pipeline for a launch at the rate of one satellite per month, the actual requirement for the country is reckoned to be around 52 satellites in the next 3 or 4 years,” he said.

On the immediate missions, Mr. Annadurai said ASTROSAT is slated for launch later this month and described it as a multi-wave length observatory capable of studying distant celestial objects and the first dedicated astronomy satellite to be launched by the ISRO.

Underlining the imperatives of harnessing space technology to shore up the quality of life, Mr. Annadurai said using information and communication technology gave the concept of e-governance but harnessing space assets for effective day-to-day governance can usher in the concept of Space Governance.

Earlier, Mr. Annadurai delivered a lecture on science as a way of life which was dedicated to the former President and scientist the late A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Interacting with the students, he said ISRO was also contemplating a solar mission to study the Sun and Mission Aditya entailed studying the corona and the solar flares from a low earth orbit.