After the recent success of the scramjet engine, Antrix Corporation, the commercial subsidiary of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up to launch 68 small satellites piggy back on its workhorse, Polar Satellite launch Vehicle (PSlV) in the next six months. Rakesh Sasibhushan, Chairman-cum-Manaing Director of Antrix, said in Bengaluru on Tuesday that ISRO would launch 68 satellites with PSlV by early next year.

He said, ''We plan to send up PSlV early next year with 68 satellites on board.''

To a question over reservations of US Congress over Indian space programmes and Antrix inviting commercial flights offering its launch vehicles, saying that Indian space launches were subsidized by the Government, Sasibhushan replied that Antrix was not bothered.

''Every Indian space programme is subsidised by the Government. It is not that US space launches or those from other (space faring) countries are not subsidised (by those Governments). We need not answer all those questions. We are doing our programmes and competing with the world. We will try to be more competitive and that will provide the answer,'' he stated.

ISRO has created a record through its 36th flight of PSlV-C34 in July this year when it successfully launched the 727.5 kg Cartosat-2 Series Satellite along with 19 co-passenger satellites from its spaceport in Sriharikota. It is the 35th consecutively successful mission of PSlV. The total weight of all the 20 satellites carried on-board PSlV-C34 was 1288 kg.

Sasibhushan said PSlV was very commercially competitive and it was the reason it had attracted interest among many countries and organisations which wanted their own satellites in the space. On future programmes connected with Antrix, he said GSlV will be ready for commercial operations but number of launches of the heavier launch vehicle will be less compared to PSlV.

''We are ready with testing and readiness of Cryogenic engines for GSlV. We are also looking for commercial operations (for GSlV) but the launches of these heavier rockets will be less compared to PSlV because of the Cryogenic engine and difficulties in manufacturing them. We do not have that much opportunity on GSlV, but we are on the lookout for commercial opportunity for GSlV also,'' Sasibhushan said.

According to ISRO the orders include contracts from US weather forecasting satellite company, PlanetiQ, which has signed a deal to launch 12 satellites on India’s PSlV by 2017 and a heavier earth observation satellite by an unnamed customer. ISRO so far, has launched 74 satellites for foreign customers, including the US, Israel, Singapore and Britain. ISRO will witness increased competition for launch business from players such as SpaceX, BlueOrigin, Rocket lab and Firefly Systems, who will begin to offer services from next year.

Antrix Corp will appeal against any verdict to protect itself from damages in the legal battle it is waging with Devas Multimedia, a satellite maker whose contract was cancelled by the government.

 “The matter is sub judice. We will appeal against all judgments in any court,” said Rakesh Sasibhushan.