Isro sets up ground station for Bhutan to help it access Saarc sat

NEW DELHI: After launching Gsat-9, popularly known as 'Saarc satellite', for its neighbours in 2017, India is currently helping its friendly countries set up ground stations for effective communication, better governance and banking services and for promoting education and agriculture in their remote areas through satellite services. The Rs 405-crore communication satellite, which was the first-of-its kind space project in South Asia and the brainchild of PM Narendra Modi, started a new chapter in space diplomacy when the Indian PM had addressed six heads of Saarc countries through video-conferencing soon after the satellite launch on May 5, 2017.

Speaking to TOI, Isro chairman K Sivan said on Wednesday, "We are providing technical assistance to Saarc countries which are part of the satellite programme in setting up ground stations and accessing satellite data. In fact, we have already set up a ground station in Bhutan after an agreement our external affairs ministry signed with Bhutan some time ago. Its acceptance test is pending and the station may become operational by this month-end. Our personnel will be going to Bhutan next week for the finalisation process of the station."



Pakistan is not part of India's Gsat-9 satellite programme, which has Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Afghanistan as members. It had opted out of the Saarc satellite project, with an excuse that "India was not willing to develop the project on a collaborative basis".

Some countries like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, which have the capability to set up ground stations are developing the infrastructure based on their own models. "These countries are only seeking information and technical assistance from Isro", the chairman said.

Sivan said, "Isro had recently conducted a workshop in December where representatives of all the Saarc countries part of the programme participated. We provided them all the information in setting up infrastructure and demonstrated how the satellite works."

The satellite, which is a "free gift to Saarc nations" from India, will help the country strengthen its diplomatic relations with friendly neighbours amid times when its differences with Pakistan and China are an at all-time high over the border issue.
The Doklam faceoff too soured India's relations with China.

India's strategic move comes at a time when China has set up an advanced satellite tracking centre and astronomical observatory in the Tibet autonomous region. It can use this facility to track Indian satellites and other space assets. Pakistan is also keeping an eye on India's space programmes. Though the hostile neighbour has five satellites in space, it lacks heavy duty launchers and satellite fabrication facilities and its satellite programme is highly dependent on China.

India’s South Asia project is expected to especially benefit Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives, which do not have space programmes of their own and are particularly susceptible to climate-related disasters.