Nextenders’ customer the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) made the news last year when it launched its mission to Mars. ISRO’s ‘frugal innovation’ enabled it to launch the Mars mission “unbelievably cheaply and quickly.” Now ISRO’s commercial arm, Antrix, is expanding as more and more countries use it to launch their commercial satellites.

Commercial success

The Hindustan Times reports that ISRO will be launching 3 DMC-3 earth observation satellites in June. It will also be launching its first US-built satellite this year too.

To date, Antrim has launched 40 satellites for customers from 19 countries. It has commercial agreements for a further 29 satellite launches.

Scientific exploration

Upcoming scientific projects include a multi-wavelength astronomy satellite (‘ASTRONAUT’) which will allow scientists to study celestial sources over a wide spectrum. There will also be a mission to orbit, land and explore the moon for mineralogical and elemental studies of the moon’s surface.

ISRO and the space programme is a major strategic success. In order to build on the success, links will be made with eight universities across India, as well as in the United States.