"The US will not send up any satellites it makes on Indian launchers," says Kenneth Juster, US under secretary of commerce. Not just that, he says no satellites made in the US and sold to buyers in other countries would go up in Indian launchers either.
Juster was speaking to the media in Bangalore, during the Indo-US space conference. Space scientists in India feel that this stand is indicative of the fact that the US is just feeling its way into its newfound revival of friendship with India, and is not yet willing to go so far as to commit its satellites to Indian launchers.
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Indian launchers are yet to come of age. The geo-synchronous satellite launch vehicle, which is the only launcher that has the capacity to put in orbit heavy satellites that can be used for serious communication or remote sensing, is still to be able to launch even Indian communication satellites.
However, the polar satellite launch vehicle, which launches smaller satellites, and will have a launch later this year, is likely to carry an entirely European satellite, indicating that ISRO is now able to sell the services of at least one of its launchers. ISRO is not yet, of course, really ready to make money from these launchers. The main objectives of the Indian space programme continue to be that of meeting national needs. Only surplus space on launchers is sold as of now.
The space profile for the 1990s, drawn up by ISRO, had actually envisaged the launch of the first GSLV by the end of 1995, the second a year later and three more before the year 2000. However, this was dependent on ISRO's agreement with Glavkosmos, the Russian space agency, to transfer cryogenic engine technology to India. The US forced Russia to back out of this deal in the early nineties, ostensibly because India had not signed the Missile Technology Control Regime.
However, ISRO believes that America's real concern was not that India would use this technology to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles, but that the GSLV would become quickly operation, and make India a serious player in the arena of satellite launching. The first GSLV was only launched finally in 2001.
When questioned about the US' current thinking on the MCTR, and India's refusal to sign it, Juster refused to say much.
"We harbour no suspicion at all about India or her intentions," clarified Frederick D Gregory, deputy administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration. "We have licensing agreements with all the countries we deal with, and we have them with India too."
Juster said that the number of Indian organisations still under the "entity list" of suspects was now only two, as against several hundred, before sanctions were lifted in 2001.
The US does not appear to have come to the Indian space bazaar with any kind of shopping list for satellites or launch services.
What, then, are the areas the two countries will work together on?
"Mostly in the area of atmospheric sciences and earth sciences," says John Kelly Jr, deputy under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere.
If the Boeing-ISRO satellite really comes through, how will the US deploy it or use it? "It is too soon to tell, as it has not gone beyond the concept stage," says Lee Morin, deputy assistant secretary for science, US state department.
