Jitendra Singh, the Minister of
State for the government of India’s Ministry of Space, has announced in the Lok
Sabha
that the Indian Space Research Organization has earned around $279
million from satellite launches for its global clients, PTI reported. According to Singh, ISRO,
along with its commercial arms, has launched a total of 345 satellites using
its rocket, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). These satellites
were from 34 different countries.

“Total foreign exchange revenue
earned through launching of foreign satellites amounts to $56 million (one
million=10 lakhs) and 220 million Euros approximately,” said Singh. However,
the minister did not mention any particular time frame in which this earning
was made.

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ISRO, on June 30, launched three
satellites from Singapore, namely, DS-EO, NeuSAR, and SCOOB-1, using its
PSLV-C53 mission.

The Indian space research body is raking
in the moolah at a time when it is gearing up to launch its own satellites,
Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1, its solar mission. Earlier scheduled to be launched
in mid-to-late 2022, the lunar mission is now headed for a first-quarter 2023
take-off.

Post the failure of Chandrayaan-2 in
2019, ISRO did not give up its hopes of a successful lunar mission. If things go
as planned, India will join the elite company of the United States, Russia, and China
as the fourth country to land a rover on the moon’s surface. The Geosynchronous
Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III rocket is set to be used for the launch.
Former ISRO chief K. Sivan had earlier estimated the total cost of the launch
to be around $77 million.

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On the other hand, the Aditya-L1 mission
is also set to be launched in the first quarter of 2023. This coronagraphy
spacecraft will be used to study solar conditions that might have an impact on
the earth’s atmosphere.

ISRO is also working on its human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan. Regarding the same, the space research body’s current chief, S. Somnath said at an event in Bengaluru, “Astronauts are undergoing training and
they are back from Russia. In the next one year, they will be undergoing many
theoretical, experimental, simulation activities and will be trained in
specific skills related to the mission”.