India earned 40 million euro for launching 15 foreign satellites

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: India`s Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said that the country has earned around 40 million euros launching 15 foreign satellites from 2011 till date. The minister, in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, said that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched 15 foreign satellites and 14 Indian satellites during fiscal years 2011-2014 and in this fiscal. Jitendra Singh is also the minister for Earth sciences, department of atomic energy and department of space. He said that the revenue earned through launch of foreign satellites was 39.82 million euros. He also quipped that the Department of Space has laid down the future space programme till 2020. The plan foresees development of advanced launch vehicle systems, thematic earth observational satellites with improved resolution, high-power, high-throughput communication satellites, microwave multi-spectral remote sensing satellites, weather and climate studies, constellation of satellites for regional navigation, development of critical technologies for human spaceflight and satellites for space science and planetary exploration purposes. The minister also said that India has spent Rs 349.9 crore on its Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) till March 31, of the total project outlay of Rs 450 crore. The Mars Orbiter Mission, informally called Mangalyaan was launched on November 5, 2013 by the ISRO. It is India`s first interplanetary mission and if successful, ISRO would join the Soviet space program, NASA, and European Space Agency, becoming the fourth space agency in the world to reach Mars. Recently, the spacecraft completed 75% of its journey to the Red Planet and is expected to enter orbit around Mars on 24 September 2014. (With Agency Inputs)