India-Israel Co-operation and Challenges

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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->India to launch Israeli TechSAR spy satellite in 2006

“Defense News”: Using India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle will cost less than Israel’s Shavit launcher.

Ran Dagoni, Washington   
15 Nov 05   16:00 

“Defense News” reports that Israel’s next spy satellite “TechSAR” will be launched via India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), rather than by an Israeli launcher, the practice until now. The launch is scheduled for October 2006.

“Defense News” says, “Government and industry sources here conceded that Israel’s embrace of the PSLV was driven in large part by a loss of confidence in the Shavit, which has had reliability problems over the past decade.” It added, “While supporters of the Shavit were disappointed by the move to the Indian launcher, they insisted that the Israeli government has not forsaken its policy of space launch self-reliance.”

“Defense News” adds, “Officials here say Israel’s Ministry of Defense and Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd. (IAI) are wrapping up the political and contractual agreements with their Indian counterparts for the planned October 2006 launch of the TechSAR, Israel’s first synthetic aperture radar imaging satellite…A preexisting bilateral accord on strategic cooperation already covers most aspects of the mission.”

A Ministry of Defense source told “Defense News” that the estimated PSLV launch cost was no more than $15 million, whereas the launch cost of Israel’s Shavit launcher was $15-20 million. The 260-kg TechSAR is slated to be the sole payload aboard the PSLV, which will be launched from the Indian Space Research Organization’s Satish Dhawan Space Center on the nation’s southeastern coast.

“Defense News” says, “If all agreements are finalized in the coming months, as expected, IAI will ship the satellite to the Indian launch site by summer.”

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on November 15, 2005
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