ISRO to Launch South Asia Satellite on May 5; Pakistan Not on Board

Advertisement
By Press Trust of India | Updated: 15 April 2017 18:11 IST

India plans to launch on May 5 the 'South Asia Satellite' that will benefit all the countries in the region, except Pakistan which is not a part of the project.

"It's going up in the first week of May," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman A S Kiran Kumar told PTI in a telephonic interview.

According to ISRO sources, the launch of this communication satellite (GSAT-9) is scheduled for May 5 on board the space agency's rocket GSLV-09 from Sriharikota spaceport.

Advertisement

Kiran Kumar said the satellite, with a lift-off mass of 2,195kg, would carry 12 ku-band transponders.

Advertisement

"Pakistan is not included in that. They did not want (to be part of the project)," he said. Sources said the satellite is designed for a mission life of more than 12 years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made an announcement about this satellite during the SAARC Summit in Kathmandu in 2014 calling it a "gift to India's neighbours."

Advertisement

"It (name) was changed to this (South Asia Satellite) because of that only (Pakistan not being part of it)," Kiran Kumar said. Earlier, it was named as 'SAARC Satellite.'

"Basically, it (the satellite) is meant for providing communication and disaster support, connectivity among States (countries of South Asia region). It will provide a significant capability to each of these participating States in terms of DTH, certain VSAT capacity plus linking among the states for both disaster information transfer and also in terms of library type of things," he said.

Advertisement

"So, there is a significant amount of inter-linking possible among the States (these countries)," Kiran Kumar said.

According to ISRO officials, there is a potential for each participating country to use a dedicated transponder with a capacity of 36 to 54MHz for its own internal use.

Each country would be responsible for content generation and its use, they said.

 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Best Diwali 2025 Wishes, Quotes, and Facebook Statuses to Share
  1. Ryugu Samples Reveal Ancient Water Flow on Asteroid for a Billion Years
  2. Scientists Create Most Detailed Radio Map of Early Universe Using MWA
  3. Mayor of Kingstown Season 4 OTT Release: Know When, Where to Watch Jeremy Renner's Crime Drama
  4. Our Fault Is Streaming Now: Know All About This Gabriel Guevara and Nicole Wallace Starrer
  5. The Conjuring: Last Rites Is Now Streaming Online: Know Where to Watch the Latest Installment from the Horror Franchise
  6. Delhi Crime Season 3 OTT Release: Know When to Watch This Shefali Shah Thriller Series
  7. Vast Space to Launch Haven-1, the World’s First Private Space Station in 2026
  8. Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Soars to 424PPM, Marking Biggest Yearly Jump Ever
  9. Black Hole Tears Star Apart, Sends Out Powerful Flares Six Months Later
  10. Shakthi Thirumagan OTT Release: When, Where to Watch Vijay Antony-Starrer Action Thriller Online?
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.