This Echo is READ ONLY !   NO Un-Authorized Messages Please!
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

January 24, 2003
Antarisksh, Bhavan,
Bangalore, India

PSLV to Launch Singapore University Satellite
=============================================

Antrix Corporation of Department of Space and Nanyang Technological
University, (NTU), Singapore signed an agreement today, January 24, 
2003, under which ISRO's PSLV will launch X-Sat of NTU. The agreement 
was signed by Prof Er Meng Hwa, Deputy President and Prof Tan Soon 
Hie, Director, Satellite Engineering Centre from NTU and Mr K R 
Sridhara Murthy, Executive Director, Antrix Corporation at a simple 
ceremony held at Antariksh Bhavan, Bangalore, the headquarters of ISRO 
and Antrix. Dr K Kasturirangan, Chairman, ISRO and Dr P S Goel, 
Director, ISRO Satellite Center also participated in the ceremony.

The 100 kg class X-Sat, which is being developed by NTU, Singapore, is 
a remote sensing micro-satellite for earth observation and imaging in 
visible spectral bands. The satellite will be used for land and 
coastal observations employing multi-spectral imaging. The three-axes 
stabilized spacecraft will have deployable solar panels.

X-Sat is the fifth satellite for which Antrix Corporation is providing
launch service using ISRO's PSLV. The satellites launched earlier are 
PROBA of Belgium, BIRD and DLR-TUBSAT of Germany and KITSAT-3 of 
Korea. Under the agreement signed today, besides launching X-Sat on 
one of the forthcoming launches of PSLV during 2005/06, Antrix will 
also provide NTU with the necessary support for testing the satellite.

 - End of File -
================

---