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China's Offer Opens India's Launch Options
By Daniel Sorid
Staff Writer
posted: 09:31 am ET
19 November 1999
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An offer by China to launch India's newest set of telecommunications satellites could end New Delhi's reliance on the European aerospace conglomerate ArianespaceAn offer by China to launch India's newest set of telecommunications satellites could end New Delhi's reliance on the European aerospace conglomerate Arianespace. Liu Zhixiong, vice president of the China Great Wall Industry Corporation, told the Press Trust of India Thursday that China would launch India's Insat-3 satellites for a lower price than Arianespace. The offer would likely be considered by India's government, which sought out a relationship with China after the United States imposed sanctions on India, effectively banning American launch companies from sending up Indian satellites. That move, made in response to India's nuclear tests last May, led India to rely exclusively on Arianespace for their launches. More launch options would give India greater flexibility when arranging launch schedules, and possibly lower costs. India's first generation of telecommunications satellites were built and launched in the United States. According to one Indian official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, relations between the two Asian countries' space programs have improved recently. China's launch vehicle, the Long March, has been launched 60 times -- 49 times successfully -- according to the Federation of American Scientists.
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