Faced with a massive demand for transponders, India plans to launch 14 communication satellites by 2017.
The department of space (DoS) has projected demand for 794 transponders in the 12th plan (2012-2017) from the operational transponder capacity of 187 from INSAT-GSAT satellites as of March-end this year.
These proposed 14 spacecraft, including high power S-band satellite for mobile communications and new generation geo-imaging satellite, are aimed at increasing the transponder capacity and introducing new generation broadband VSAT systems and Ka band systems.
These satellites would bridge the gap between the demand and supply of the transponders to meet all the requirements of the country and also to maintain sufficient spares capacity to meet contingencies, sources in Indian Space Research Organisation, R&D wing of the department of space, said. “Maintaining and securing sufficient orbit-spectrum resources for country’s Satcom activities will be a thrust area of the 12th Plan,” an ISRO official said.