Personal satellites a near reality, says ex-ISRO chief

MUMBAI, Jan 27: In what could be a sci-fi fantasy come true, small organisations and individuals may soon have their very own satellites, an extension of personal computers (PCs), to cater to their communication needs. Former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) UR Rao believes that these are quite possible by the quarter of next millennium.

Speaking at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) here last week, Rao said, “this revolution will spring largely from the semiconductor industry which is making great strides every two years. Semiconductor chips, which form the heart of computers and other electronic gadgets are becoming smaller and smaller, reducing the size of the machines,” he said.

“These advances will lead us to concepts like nano-satellites and pico-satellites. Here, the size of the satellites will be lesser than an inch and thousands and lakhs of such satellites can be pushed into orbit in a single launch,” he explained.

The concept is to have a swarm of satellites in a single orbit doing jobs for different individuals and organisations. This will form a belt similar to the Kuiper belt, from where all comets and asteroids begin their journeys. “Even if thousand of them fail, a large number of them will remain intact,” said Rao.