Two months after the GSLV’s second continuous success, ISRO’s commercial arm, Antrix, has started promoting the launch capabilities of the medium lift vehicle among international spacecraft manufacturers.

V.S. Hegde, Antrix Corporation’s chairman and managing director, said there were good opportunities for the GSLV to bid for the many satellites being made in the 2,000 to 2,200 kg class.

“We are in discussions with many satellite manufacturers across the world for the [already established] PSLV and now the GSLV. There is a very good response to the GSLV,” including from U.S. manufacturers, he said on the sidelines of a seminar here on Friday.

The GSLV, he said, could place in space two-tonne communication satellites in the medium-Earth, geosynchronous (36,000 km) orbit; as well as take heavier ones to lower distances.

“Space agencies making two-tonne communication satellites will be very much interested if we can offer the GSLV now, or soon. There is definitely a shortage of launches [of its kind] as 1,000-1,500 small to medium-sized satellites are estimated to go up in the next two or three years for various applications.

In spite of such heavy demand, “We are not commercial; the GSLV and the PSLV have to first meet national needs,” Dr. Hegde said.

Big PSLV contracts

The PSLV would launch a 500-kg Earth observation satellite of Singapore ST Electronics in mid-December. The flight would be a full paid launch and carry five smaller Singapore university satellites along.

By 2017-end, Antrix would execute 23 paid PSLV launches, including the 900-kg German environment mapper EnMap.

Antrix, which made business of Rs. 1,800 crore for 2014–15, expects it to touch Rs. 2,000 crore in the current year, Dr. Hegde said..

There are good opportunities for the GSLV to bid for the many satellites being made in the 2,000 to 2,200 kg class.

V.S. Hegde,Antrix Corporation’s chairman

and managing director