GSAT-09, a stellar communication satellite which has been developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will stronger India’s ties with its neighbouring allies.
The satellite which is gearing for it’s big launch on May 5, 2017 will get India closer to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan.
The satellite, which weighs 2,230 kg took around three years to build, is anticipated to boost services such as telecommunication, direct-to-home, telemedicine, tele-education and other supporting systems available across these countries. A whopping sum of Rs 235 crore has been spent by India to develop the space vehicle.
Not only this, GSAT-09 will forecast weather and climatic conditions, has an alert system which will send alerts on the occurrence of any eventuality like a natural disaster. Therefore, this satellite will also buttress the idea of conserving water resources of the countries.
This major satellite is a product of Hon’ble Prime Minister’s proactive and advanced thinking. After assuming the office in 2014, NaMo urged ISRO to develop a satellite which can be thought of as a gift to SAARC nations. SAARC stands for South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. It includes a group of South Asian countries which join hands for collaboratively maintaining peace and harmony in their lands.
“Such a satellite will be helpful in SAARC nations’ fight against poverty and illiteracy, and in overcoming the challenges to progress in the scientific field, besides opening up opportunities to the youth of SAARC countries,” Modi had initially expressed his objective on getting this satellite constructed.
Now, the South Asian countries can crunch data from the 12 Ku-band transponders in the satellite. Thanks to GSAT-09,
Following the footsteps of India, Bangladesh is in the process of developing a satellite, while Afghanistan is expected to join the league too. Sri Lanka has already developed its own communication satellites with aid from China.
