ISRO to post transponder lease policy on Antrix website
08 Jun 2011
New Delhi: In a bid to increase transparency in its dealings, controversy-hit Antrix Corp Ltd, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation, or ISRO, will now post the terms and conditions of its satellite lease policy on its website.
The satellite policy clarifies the terms and conditions under which transponders on various Indian satellites are leased to private and state broadcasters.
''The satellite policy will be put up on the (Antrix) website and will be part of the several initiatives to spell out greater transparency in the way Antrix and ISRO function,'' said K Radhakrishnan, chairman, ISRO, on the side-lines of the National Technology Summit.
Experts say the move will offer greater clarity on future leases of satellite transponders by ISRO.
In February this year Antrix found itself embroiled in controversy when a proposed Rs1,000-crore deal with Devas Multimedia Pvt Ltd to lease transponders using the S-band (2.5-5GHz) on two satellites-GSAT 6 and GSAT 6A came under intense public scrutiny.
Both these satellites are due for launch by 2013.
