ISRO to usher rural connectivity through Fast Track satellite

Bangalore, Nov 19 (UNI) Close on the heels of deep space mission success through Chandrayaan-1, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will now go ahead with the launch of Fast Track satellite to provide rural connectivity.

Speaking to UNI, ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair, said the four-tonne satellite was likely to be the last satellite to be launched which will ride on a Ariane launch vehicle from Kouru French Guyana, and this would be achieved in the next two years.

He said ISRO was in the final stages of developing the Cryogenic engine and flight test would take place next year. These powerful engines can carry above four tonne satellite into the space.

For the INSAT series, ISRO was dependent on the French space agency while it had already mastered up to two tonne capacity PSLV technology through which Chandayaan-1 was launched last month.

''Yes. Fast Track, is likely to be the last launch of an Indian satellite from foreign soil. We should be ready with the GSLV Mark-III using Cryogenic engine next year. I hope by the end of 2011, the first GSLV will be launched,'' he said, adding the Fast Track, was one among the INSAT series.

''If you take the country, even today more than 30,000 villages do not have proper connectivity. With conventional type of satellite we cannot meet the requirement. So we have to go for spot beams and high band width capacities has to be built. We have taken up the job on priority basis as rural connectivity is very important for the country,'' he added.

He said this satellite would work on spot beam technique and would have an all India beam. ''Spot beam covers different parts of the country and through a central hub it will be connected to national transmission,'' he added.

To track the satellite, Villages will have to have internet connections. Agricultural advises done in the earlier INSAT series would be provided, he added.

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