Conceived in 1998, the plan to launch a SAARC satellite has now gained momentum with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) estimating expenditure of around Rs235 crore for the systems to be used by South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member nations.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Atomic Energy and Space, Jitendra Singh said in reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on Thursday that “ISRO is planning to provide space-based systems for SAARC nations. It will build a satellite for SAARC region with 12 Ku-band transponders and launch them using Indian Geostationary launch Vehicle (GSlV) Mk-II.”
He said that a one-day conference on “Satellite for SAARC Region and Space Technology Applications” was organised in the national Capital in June 2015 to appraise and discuss the proposal.“Delegations from all the SAARC member nations have participated in the conference. The response of all the SAARC nations to the proposal has been encouraging. Pakistan while welcoming the initiative raised some queries on technical and operational aspects. Pakistan desired further discussions before giving its consent,” the Minister added.
The total cost of launching the satellite is estimated to be about Rs235 crore. The cost associated with the launch will be met by India.The proposed satellite enables full range of applications and services to our neighbours in the areas of telecommunication and broadcasting applications viz. Television, Direct-to-Home , Very Small Aperture Terminals, Tele-education, Telemedicine and Disaster Management Support, said the Minister.