Monday, April 11 2005 17:28 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bhopal: India will launch Cartosat-1, first of its kind with stereoscopic imaging capability next month and INSAT-4A by August first week, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman G Madhavan Nair said today (Apr 11, 2005).

INSAT-4A, country's heaviest communication satellite will be launched from European Arian-5 launch vehicle in French Guayana, in July end or early August, he told reporters in Bhopal.

Nair, who was here to inaugurate country's second master control facility after Hassan, said India plans to launch one or two satellites every year.

In the first week of May, Cartosat-1 will be launched from PSLV at Sriharikota. It is the first of its kind satellite with stereoscopic capabilities and resolution of 2.5 metres, he said.

The satellite would enable updation of survey maps, which were prepared in 1980-85, within an year, Nair said.

By the year-end, ISRO will also launch Cartosat-2 (with one metre resolution and swath of 30 km) and HAMSAT, for amateur radio, as piggyback rider, on PSLV, he said adding another communication satellite would be launched through GSLV.

On the Chandrayan project, the ISRO chief said design of the spacecraft was completed and tracking network was being developed indigenously.

On a query, he said ISRO successfully got launch contracts for foreign satellites one of which, Agile (Italian), would be launched via PSLV next year.

"We can offer launch facility at 70 to 80 per cent of international cost," he added.