India sat budget to triple by 2012

(India Business Insight via NewsEdge) India will increase its five-year space budget threefold to Rs45,000 crores ($11.1 billion) by 2012 to be able to launch more satellites and rockets for local and foreign customers and to prepare for the manned mission by the next decade.

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will augment the capacity of communication transponders to 500 to cater to the demand of users and satellite television operators.

ISRO will launch 16 communication satellites, increasing capacity from the existing 200 transponders on 11 satellites. It will also launch eight Indian remote sensing satellites, including those for understanding monsoon behavior and mapping urban disaster zones and drought-prone districts.

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