The 11th successful flight of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), carrying and launching for a fee an Italian astronomical satellite, is a significant achievement for the India Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This is the first step towards ISRO’s progress to becoming a serious player in the international space launch business. Commercial international launch of satellites, especially communication satellites, is a billion dollar business. Together with the cost of the satellites themselves, the communication satellite business runs into billions of dollars.

ISRO already has an edge in the fabrication of satellites. It has a long experience of building all types of satellites from earth observation satellites to weather satellites to communication satellites. It does not, however, at the present moment have a launch vehicle for putting communication satellites in geostationary orbits. It must now concentrate its efforts in successfully developing the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) as soon as possible so that it can enter this market. Development of the GSLV will enable ISRO to launch Indian satellites as well as reduce its dependence on the European Space Agency. Beyond GSLV, ISRO can develop reusable launch vehicles (RLVs) as well, thereby further reducing launch costs as well as the lead time for launch preparation, and so on. Currently, active in the communication satellite launch business are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, the European Union and China. Of these only the US has developed successful RLVs.

However, much more needs to be done on other fronts as well before ISRO can become a major player in the launch of communication satellites (comsat). The US is a major supplier of a large number of systems, equipment and components used in the fabrication of comsats. These require export licences from the US.

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