Isro earns 6.1 million euros from launch of 29 nano satellite

BENGALURU: The Indian Space Research Organisation ’s ( Isro ) commercial arm Antrix earned has earned 6.1 million euros from the launch of 29 nano satellites from 14 countries on June 23, earlier this year, adding to the 157 million euros it earned from foreign launches in the last four years.While the space agency has launched 130 satellites in the first six months of 2017, all the foreign satellites it has launched have been small in size.However, Isro chairman AS Kiran Kumar is confident that the agency will be able to provide Antrix with at least two complete launch vehicles per annum in a few years. Presently Antrix only sells additional space - that left after India’s main satellite is accounted for - available on launch vehicles to foreign customers.The launch that earned 6.1 million euros, for instance, had India’s Cartosat-2 as the main passenger and all the foreign satellites were co-passengers. The satellites belonged to Austria, Chile, Belgium, France, Finland, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, the USA, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and the UK.Antrix earned a revenue of 76.5 million euros and $4.5 million from launching foreign satellites in just the past two years (2015-16 and 2016-17 up to February). In 2013, it earned 6.9 million euros from foreign launches, and the same was 18.2 million euros and 55.5 million euros in 2014 and 2015.“The revenue we earn through foreign satellite launches is only 10% to 20% on an average. About 80% of our revenue comes from other services, with transponder leasing and satellite communication business contributing the highest. A small percentage of revenue also comes from ground station services abroad,” Antrix Chairman and Managing Director S Rakesh had told TOI.