Setting a unique example of cooperation through its ‘neighbourhood first’ policy, India on Friday successfully launched the Rs 500-crore South Asian Satellite from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
The over two-tonne communication satellite built by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was launched onboard GSlV-F09 and will now undergo a series of orbit-raising manoeuvres and in-orbit testing before reaching operational status by May 25 this year.
Termed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “gift to the region,” the satellite will connect Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives and Sri lanka and has 12 Ku-band transponders which India’s neighbours can utilise to increase their communications. Pakistan is not part of the satellite as it opted out of the project from the beginning.
Without paying anything for its usage or launch, each participating country will get access to at least one transponder, through which they could beam their own programming.
The satellite will facilitate DTH television, VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) links, tele-education, telemedicine and disaster management support. It will provide critical communication links in times of disasters such as earthquakes, cyclones, floods and tsunamis.
Calling the launch of the satellite a historic moment, Modi said it will open new horizons of engagement. He thanked the participating countries for their cooperation. “The launch of the South Asian Satellite tells us that even the sky’s the limit when it comes
to regional cooperation,”
Modi said.
The satellite was part of Modi’s commitment made on June 30, 2014, when he had offered to make a satellite for the SAARC countries to meet their socio-economic development and welfare needs through space technology.
Shortly after the blast off on Friday, Modi connected with fellow leaders, Ashraf Ghani, President of Afghanistan; Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh; Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Bhutan; Abdulla Yameen, President of Maldives; Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Prime Minister of Nepal and Maithripala Sirisena, President of Sri lanka, through an unprecedented video-conference to celebrate the launch. The Presidents and Prime Ministers lauded Modi’s efforts and as the President of Maldives said, “It signified India’s neighborhood policy.”
Nepal’s Prime Minister while congratulating India said the satellite would help develop his nation’s human resources. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina hoped this would open a new horizon of cooperation in the region.
Modi said the launch of the satellite marks the fulfilment of India’s commitment and also the “beginning of the journey to build the most advanced frontier of our partnership.”
He said the project will touch the lives of the people of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri lanka and India through regional cooperation in the area of space technology applications in telecommunication and broadcasting, tele-medicine, tele-education, e-governance, banking/ ATM services, cellular back-haul, meteorological data transmission, disaster response and networking of academic and research institutions.
“The South Asian Satellite demonstrated that our collective choices for our citizens will bring us together for cooperation, not conflict; development, not destruction; and prosperity not poverty,” PM added as thanked the leaders of the participating countries for their strong support.
The South Asia Satellite will provide Ku-band broadcasting and telecommunication services. In order to enable test television transmission in the national languages of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri lanka, India has established a required ground station facility in New Delhi. The facility will also support the demonstration of interactive services to member nations.
The test television transmissions will also be available over the participating countries. Sources said the transmission can be viewed by citizens of these nations by using commercially available off-the-shelf and set-top-boxes. The satellite will provide connectivity to remote regions of each country by nationwide cellular backhaul networks through satellite where terrestrial solution does not exist.
In addition, it is also proposed to establish a common ground infrastructure for connecting all the member nations to support the activities in the area of Meteorological Data transmission, networking of academic and research institutions, etc.
Reacting to the satellite Pakistan said that while India made it clear at the 18th SAARC Summit that it wanted to ‘gift’ a Satellite to SAARC member states it made it clear that it would build, launch and operate the satellite solely, which was not acceptable to Pakistan.
“Pakistan, which has its own space programme at an advanced level, was ready to share its expertise and technological know-how and was keen to participate in the project. However, as India was not willing to develop the project on a collaborative basis, it was not possible for Pakistan to support it as a regional project under the umbrella of SAARC,” said Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, spokesperson of Pakistan Foreign Office.