He also said the government was not discriminating between space scientists and Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officials and, based on their culpability, punitive action would be taken against the latter too.

"We did not cancel the deal due to media pressure or the Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) estimation of loss. The government cancelled the deal on the issue of national security," Narayanasamy told IANS on phone.

A committee comprising B.K. Chaturvedi and Roddam Narasimha that went into the controversial deal has ruled out cheap selling of spectrum by Antrix to Bangalore-based Devas.

"Concerns of cheap selling of spectrum to Devas have no basis whatsoever. Space spectrum is not comparable to terrestrial spectrum. Devas was also required to obtain licences from Department of Telecommunications, Department of Information Broadcasting for providing services to customers and would have to pay, apart from transponder leasing charges, other charges which would be determined by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) based on consultation mechanism," the committee declared.

Portions of the report were made public Saturday night by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Some portions of the Chaturvedi-Narasimha panel have been withheld under Section 8 (1) (a) of Right to Information Act 2005.

As per the deal, Antrix was to provide 70 MHz S-Band spectrum to Devas, which is into multimedia services. Antrix would provide the spectrum by leasing out transponders of two satellites to be built mainly for Devas.

The CAG estimated the loss to the exchequer to the tune of Rs.2 lakh crore because of the deal. The centre later scrapped the controversial deal.

Indian space agency ISRO Saturday also made public only the conclusions and recommendations of a report by a five-member panel led by former Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) Pratyush Sinha.

On the basis of the Sinha panel's recommendations, the government Jan 13 debarred the four space scientists from holding any government post or being on an any official committees. The four are former ISRO chairman G. Madhavan Nair; A. Bhaskaranarayana, former scientific secretary at ISRO; K.R. Sridharamurthi, former executive director of Antrix, the commercial arm of ISRO; and K.N. Shankara, former director of the ISRO satellite centre.

The committee also recommended actions under pension rules against retired officials S.S. Meenakshisundaram and Veena Rao, and against G. Balachandran and R.G. Nadadur under the relevant service rules.

A view has gained ground that a witch hunt is on against the four retired space scientists.

Asked about this, Narayanasamy said: "The government is not discriminating between retired space scientists and serving IAS officials. We will take action against the serving officers based on their culpability in the whole issue. Action will be taken in stages after studying in detail."

However, he declined to reveal the reasons for making public only selective portions of the two reports.

A top source said portions of the report that have been withheld consist of cabinet notes and others dealing with internal security which is not for the public.

ISRO chairman K. Radhakrishnan told reporters in Bangalore Monday: "Whatever I have to say is up in the report. I have nothing more to say. There is nothing personal in this."

Refuting Nair's charge that he was not given an opportunity to be heard by the Sinha panel, Narayanasamy said: "The committee report clearly states that Nair had met Sinha apart from submitting his views in writing. Other people had given their views in writing to the panel."

He also did not agree with the general view that ISRO's activities have slowed down over the past two years.

"It is a wrong impression. I myself have witnessed two successful rocket launches. The failure of two GSLV (geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle) launches is owing to problems in the rocket's cryogenic engine," Narayanasamy said.

Source: Indo Asian News Service

]]> Wed, 08 FEB 2012 08:55:22 AEST Luxembourg (SPX) Feb 08, 2012 - SES S.A. announces that ILS has re-scheduled the SES-4 satellite launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on board an ILS Proton Breeze M rocket for 1:36 am local time on February 15th, 2012 (February 14th, 2012 at 20:36 p.m. CET, 14:36 p.m. EST).

SES-4 is a 20-kilowatt satellite with 52 C-band and 72 Ku-band transponders. It has C-band beams serving the eastern hemisphere of Europe and Africa, full coverage of the Americas, and a global beam to support mobile and maritime customers.

Four high-power, regional Ku-band beams will provide service to Europe, the Middle East, West Africa as well as North and South America with extensive channel switching capability between C- and Ku-band transponders for enhanced connectivity.

The new satellite is based on the flight-proven Space Systems/Loral 1300 platform and designed to deliver services for 15 years or more. SES-4 will be the 50th satellite in the global SES fleet and will also be the largest, most powerful SES satellite.

It will replace the NSS-7 satellite at 338 degrees East longitude and provide increased capacity at this well established SES orbital slot.

In North America, the live broadcast of the launch will be available on the SES-2 satellite at 87 degrees West, C21, downlink frequency 4120.00 MHz, horizontal polarization, service ID 155086.

In Europe, the broadcast of the launch via ASTRA satellite is available at the orbital position 23.5 degrees East, channel 3.224, downlink frequency 12168.00 MHz, vertical polarization, Symbol rate 27.50 MSym/s, FEC 3/4, service ID 5250, service name SES-4 Launch.

A webcast is available here. The video transmission of the launch of SES-4 will begin approximately 30 minutes before liftoff.

]]> Wed, 08 FEB 2012 08:55:22 AEST Paris, France (SPX) Feb 08, 2012 - Euroconsult has announced that it expects prospects for the satellite industry to remain favorable over the decade in a variety of areas. The next ten years should see continued growth for commercial markets, while at the same time stagnating growth for government spending should be expected at least through mid-decade.

According to Euroconsult's "Satellite Communications and Broadcasting Markets Survey," the satellite bandwidth used for traditional FSS services will be worth almost $15 billion in 2020.

"While we have seen slowing growth rates in leased capacity, FSS operators' revenue growth has continued to outperform the global economy, and operating margins remain high for most operators. In the near term, the difficult economic environment could weigh on the market," said Pacome Revillon, CEO at Euroconsult.

"Still, connectivity needs and the growth of digital TV in emerging regions, combined with the launch of new generation high throughput satellite systems should continue to drive growth. The value of satellite capacity leasing should consequently grow at 7% over the next ten years."

In the report "Mobile Satellite Communications Markets Survey," Euroconsult forecasts that the MSS market will grow at nearly 13% per year on average, from 2.4 million terminals in service in 2010 to 7.8 million by 2020. Low-data rate machine-to-machine (M2M) devices will have a significant share in this subscriber growth while their contribution to service revenues will remain limited.

"MSS wholesale revenue is expected to grow roughly 7% per year over the decade, due to increased demand for broadband and other MSS services in a number of vertical markets and emerging regions," said Wei Li, Senior Consultant at Euroconsult and principal author of the report. "Nevertheless, competition from terrestrial and VSAT networks will remain a major limitation for MSS growth in L-band."

Euroconsult's "Satellites to be Built and Launched" estimates that 1,145 satellites will be built for launch from 2011 to 2020, 51% more satellites than the previous decade. Revenues from the manufacture and launch of these 1,145 satellites will be worth $196 billion worldwide, of which 70% can be attributed to government demand.

Euroconsult forecasts 203 commercial communications satellites with a market value of $50 billion will be launched into the GEO arc over the next ten years. Some of these satellites were recorded in satellite manufacturers' order books during the flurry of ordering activity over the past five years.

Commercial satellite services outside the geostationary orbit will get a boost over the next decade with a total of 165 satellites to be built and launched into medium and low Earth orbits (MEO and LEO).

"Governments continue to dominate the space market, as satellite systems are critical infrastructure for communications and geo-information solutions for civilian and military users," said Rachel Villain, Director for Space for Euroconsult and editor of the report.

"The government market is worth more than double the commercial market, but is largely closed to non-domestic manufacturers. Export opportunities for manufacturers exist with governments in countries with no space industry."

However, government space activities are entering a stagnation phase following years of continuous expansion during the last decade. Following a peak funding level of $71.5 billion in 2010, government budgets for space programs are anticipated to begin a slow decline at a minimum of -1% per year on average by 2015 according to Euroconsult's "Government Space Markets, World Prospects to 2020."

In the most optimistic scenario, this would result in a stabilization of approximately $70 billion for the next five years.

"Government investments in satellite systems are cyclical, driven by the procurement of operational systems in large space countries," said Steve Bochinger, President of Euroconsult North America.

"Following stimulus funding allocated to space projects to support national economies and innovation, most governments have returned to more stringent budget spending. This has already resulted in cutting non-priority budget items including space programs." Government stakeholders will increasingly look for cooperation opportunities with their counterparts and with the private sector to maximize their investment and share risks on key programs.

Earth observation remains a driving factor for the space industry with $8 billion spent by government civil and defense agencies worldwide in 2011. According to Euroconsult's "Satellite-Based Earth Observation" report, EO commercial data sales are due to grow by 12% on average per year over the decade, reaching nearly $4 billion by 2020 with very high resolution datasets dominant.

Although commercial data sales may be affected in the short term by tightening budgets, long term prospects for data sales remain positive; key drivers include commercial data sales to defense agencies globally to support their IMINT requirements and a developing private sector, particularly for LBS.

Realizing this, "operators are developing mechanisms to provide data to a global client base - through providing direct access to their proprietary satellites, developing online services and expanding distribution networks," said Adam Keith, Director of Earth Observation at Euroconsult.

]]> Wed, 08 FEB 2012 08:55:22 AEST Bangalore, India (IANS) Feb 08, 2012 - Former Indian space agency chief G. Madhavan Nair Sunday slammed the twin probe reports on the multi-billion dollar Antrix-Devas spectrum deal, saying they were "one-sided and without all facts". "Though I am yet to go through both the reports in detail, I can categorically say they are one-sided and not based on all facts. Let me first get the reports and study them. Then only I will be able to rebut and defend my position," Nair told IANS here.

Expressing surprise at the odd timing (late Saturday) of releasing the probe reports on the official websites of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the space department, Nair said a quick look at the salient points and conclusions arrived at clearly shows that the inquiry was not based on factual information and many things have been considered out of context.

"For instance, issues related to launch of satellites, leasing of transponders and spectrum pricing mechanism have not been dealt as per the rules and regulations," Nair said.

The probe reports have held Nair and three other space scientists responsible for serious irregularities and procedural lapses in signing the $300-million contract in 2005 to allot 70MHz of the scarce S-band spectrum (radio waves) to the Bangalore-based Devas Multimedia Services Ltd for digital services using ISRO's transponders.

The other three scientists are former scientific secretary A. Bhaskarnarayana, ISRO's former satellite centre director K.N. Shankara and former Antrix Corporation executive director K.R. Sridharamurthi.

The Rs.1,000-crore (Rs.10-billion) Antrix is the commercial arm of the space agency, headquartered in this tech hub with centres across the country.

Though the first report of the two-member probe committee headed by former cabinet secretary B.K. Chaturvedi and Space Commission member Roddam Narasimha was uploaded in full, the report of the five-member probe panel set up to study the former's report, has been partially released, with only the conclusions.

The prime minister, who is also incharge of the space department, had set up the Chatruvedi committee in February 2011 and the five-member panel in May 2011 under the chairmanship of Pratyush Sinha, former chairman of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), to study the former's recommendations to fix responsibility for the alleged violation of norms.

On the basis of the Sinha panel's recommendations, the government Jan 13 debarred the four scientists from holding any government post or being on an any official committees.

On the recommendation of the Sinha committee, Nair said the panel had made the recommendations with little knowledge of space business.

"A committee headed by a former IPS (Indian Police Service) officer does not understand space business. Its conclusions are distorted. Its report too should have been released in full to ascertain the basis of its recommendations for action against us," Nair retorted.

Clarifying that the deal was not to solely benefit Devas, Nair said the contract was to ensure a decent return to the government even at the risk of using new technology at a time when India was still under the sanctions regime.

"When the deal was signed (in 2005), we were still under the embargo of the US and other western nations for the Pokhran-II nuclear test in May 1999. Only Devas came forward to provide a host of digital multimedia services using space-based radio waves. The government was also in favour of using space assets for the benefit of the country," Nair observed.

]]> Wed, 08 FEB 2012 08:55:22 AEST Luxembourg (SPX) Feb 08, 2012 - SES and NordNet, the French internet service provider and a subsidiary of France-Telecom-Orange, has announced that they have expanded their service offering of SES' successful satellite broadband service ASTRA2Connect with higher speeds of up to 10 Mbps.

Customers of the long-standing ASTRA2Connect partner in France are thus able to access the internet with increased speeds via the SES orbital position 28.2 degrees East.

ASTRA2Connect is Europe's most successful satellite broadband service, with more than 80,000 end-users to date.

"With the enhanced agreement we continue our successful partnership with NordNet. Customers in France will benefit from our new service and we will further improve our commercial offering," said Ferdinand Kayser, Chief Commercial Officer of SES.

"Those who live in the rural regions of France often need alternative ways to access broadband internet due to the limited availability of terrestrial infrastructure. Our solution offers them a fast and reliable service."

Francis Piet, President and CEO of NordNet, said: "During the last three years, we were able to continuously increase the performance and speed of our services. The introduction of the 10 Mbit/s offer marks a new step in the collaboration with our long-standing partner SES. We are delighted that we will continue working together to increase the satisfaction of our current and future customers."

]]> Wed, 08 FEB 2012 08:55:22 AEST Luxembourg (SPX) Feb 08, 2012 - SES S.A. has announced that the SES-3 satellite is being relocated from its former location over North America to Asia, an area experiencing great demand for state-of-the-art, reliable satellite capacity.

The SES-3 satellite is being relocated to 108.2 degrees East to provide coverage of the Middle East and South Asia regions, where SES experiences growing customer demand. The drift began in mid-December 2011 and the satellite is expected to arrive at its new orbital location on February 6, 2012.

SES-3 is a young satellite as it was just launched in July of 2011. Once reaching 108.2 degrees East, the planned coverage is capable of supporting such applications as video, voice, data, and end-to-end communications networks. With MAC-1 compliance and encrypted tracking, telemetry and control, the satellite is also well positioned to meet the secure communications needs of government customers.

Romain Bausch, President and CEO of SES, stated: "With a fleet of 49 spacecraft in orbit around the globe, SES has the operational flexibility to swiftly respond to shifting customer demand by re-deploying in-orbit capacity without affecting existing services."

Tip Osterthaler, President and CEO of SES Government Solutions added, "The relocation of the SES-3 satellite is a result of continued engagement and dialogue with our customers and in response to the growing demand for bandwidth to support critical communications capabilities. This move is a confirmation of our commitment to provide affordable and vital capability for our government customers."

]]> Wed, 08 FEB 2012 08:55:22 AEST Chennai, India (IANS) Feb 08, 2012 - A five-member team that probed a controversial deal between Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) commercial arm Antrix Corporation and Devas Multimedia has concluded that former chairman of the space agency, G. Madhavan Nair, and three other scientists were responsible for the contract.

The other three are A. Bhaskaranarayana, former scientific secretary at ISRO, K.R. Sridharamurthi, former executive director of Antrix, the commercial arm of ISRO, and K.N Shankara, former director of the ISRO satellite centre.

The committee, chaired by former Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) Pratyush Sinha, concluded that there have been serious lapses of judgement on the part of various officials, and in some cases the actions verged on the point of breach of public trust.

As per the deal, Antrix was to provide 70 MHz S-Band spectrum to Devas, which is into multimedia services. Antrix would provide the spectrum by leasing out transponders of two satellites to be built mainly for Devas.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) estimated the loss to the exchequer to the tune of Rs.2 lakh crore because of the deal. The centre later scrapped the controversial deal.

ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan had recently announced that the reports of two committees that looked into the controversial deal would be made public.

And late Saturday, ISRO uploaded on its website the conclusions and recommendations of the Sinha Committee, the full High Powered Review Committee Report by B.K. Chaturvedi and Roddam Narasimha, and a statement on both the committees and the follow up action on their recommendations.

Holding Nair, Bhaskaranarayana, Sridharamurthi and Shankara as mainly responsible for leading the Department of Space (DOS) and Antrix for the contract, the Sinha committee has recommended to the government taking action against them under the relevant sections of pension rules or any other provisions of law.

The committee also recommended actions under pension rules against retired officials S.S. Meenakshisundaram and Veena Rao, and against G. Balachandran and R.G. Nadadur under the relevant service rules.

It also recommended investigation by an appropriate agency to look into the changing pattern of ownership of Devas, the illegal financial benefit derived by individuals and officials, and the extent to which the increased valuation of Devas shares were encashed by individuals.

The committee also recommended investigation into the shareholding pattern of Devas and that of two Mauritius-based companies owing shares in Devas.

According to the committee, there was no consultation with any other central government department including the department of telecommunications on the utility of the technology that would deliver multimedia and information services through satellite and terrestrial systems to mobile receivers, and regulatory requirements for the proposed services before committing to build two satellites for the deal.

The Sinha committee said the INSAT Coordination Committee (ICC) for the overall management of INSAT system and the recommending body for satellite utilisation by non-government users had not met 2004.

Earmarking two satellites for the Antrix-Devas deal without consulting ICC is a clear violation of the government policy.

While the policy is to allow use of satellites by non-government users on non-exclusive basis, the Antrix deal with Devas provides for exclusive use of two custom-built satellites leaving no scope for alternate use.

The Sinha Committee said the approval process for the deal was riddled with incomplete and inaccurate information given to the Union cabinet and the Space Commission.

The date of agreement signed with Devas - Jan 28, 2005 - was not disclosed to the Space Commission or in the cabinet note in which sanction for building GSAT-6, one of the two satellites, was sought.

The cabinet note gives an erroneous impression that ISRO was in receipt of several expressions of interest for the utilisation of the satellite capacity on commercial terms.

The committee said the existence of an agreement with Devas was not disclosed to the cabinet when sanction was sought to build the second satellite GSAT-6A.

On the argument that there was no need to involve the Space Commission in the Devas deal as the decision was taken by Antrix, the Sinha Committee said the commitment was to spend Rs.766 crore for launching and operating the satellites.

The committee also concluded that the terms of the contract was heavily loaded in favour of Devas and asked why the latter with its registered office in Bangalore was considered as an international customer for the purpose of arbitration.

According to the committee, any international agreement signed by a government department with arbitration clause has to be cleared by the legal cell of the department concerned and by the ministry of finance.

This was not done in the Antrix-Devas deal.

The central government Jan 13 had banned Nair, Bhaskaranarayana, Shankara and Sridharamurthi, from holding any government jobs or any membership in a government committee.

Nair, who had been awarded Padma Bhushan in 1998 and Padma Vibhushan in 2009, said ISRO's current chairman Radhakrishnan was behind the government's ban order.

He said he was not given an opportunity to present his case before the ban order was issued by the government.

]]> Wed, 08 FEB 2012 08:55:22 AEST Plano TX (SPX) Feb 03, 2012 - ASC Signal Corporation has been awarded a $1 million contract for the first three phases to build up to 100 3.7 meter, X-band antenna systems to support global government communications. These fixed, tracking antennas will communicate with the U.S. Department of Defense's Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) constellation in the X-band frequency.

The WGS high-capacity satellite system is deployed across the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Ocean regions and supports many military and government platforms. The antenna systems, including ASC's state-of-the-art Next Generation Controller (NGC) antenna controller, are in the process of certification by Defense Information Systems Agency for operation with the WGS satellites.

ASC has shipped more than 3,000 of these high-performance, 3.7m antennas for critical commercial and defense applications around the world. For users, this antenna system provides simplicity and flexibility.

The two-piece reflector design and pedestal mount enable rapid installation, while the multiple band capability, in C-, X-, Ku-, and Ka-band, supports varied communications requirements through just one antenna system. These multiple capabilities create financial and operational efficiency, a critical factor in the government arena.

"The U.S. government is looking for state-of-the art satellite technology that will ensure reliable communications wherever users are deployed," said Keith Buckley, President and CEO of ASC Signal.

"Working as we do with system integrator partners and prime contractors, we continue to see the need for these robust, high-performing antenna products to support critical defense applications. As we develop future antenna technology, including expanding our multi-band systems and designing increased mobility, we will continue to extend the availability of our commercial products to enhance warfighter communications."

]]> Wed, 08 FEB 2012 08:55:22 AEST Bangalore, India (IANS) Jan 31, 2012 - Stung by a government order debarring him and three other reputed space scientists from occupying official posts, former Indian space agency chairman G Madhavan Nair has demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh immediately enquire into the case.

"As I am not aware who took the decision in the PMO (Prime Minister's Office), I want the prime minister to investigate the order and ascertain the basis of the recommendation for action as I was not given a chance to know what my crime is," an upset Nair told IANS in an interview.

The other three scientists who have been barred from holding any government job are former scientific secretary A Bhaskarnarayana, Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) former satellite centre director KN Shankara and former Antrix Corporation executive director KR Sridharamurthi.

The Rs 1,000-crore ($200 million) Antrix is the commercial arm of the state-run ISRO, which is headquartered in this tech hub with centres across the country.

The quartet had been punished for their alleged role in the nixed $300 million (Rs 60 crore) spectrum deal between Antrix and the Bangalore-based Devas Multimedia Ltd in violation of rules, including competitive bidding through a global tender.

"The fact that the blacklisting order was not sent to me even 12 days after it was issued but leaked to the media makes me suspect a sinister design behind the entire episode to cover up something or shield someone," Nair asserted.

Claiming that the review committee headed by former cabinet secretary BK Chaturvedi and Space Commission member Roddam Narasimha found nothing amiss with the terms under which the contract was signed to allot 70MHz of the scarce S-band spectrum (radio waves) to Devas for digital multimedia services, Nair said even the one-man committee headed by BN Suresh gave him a clean chit.

Present ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan set up the Suresh panel in December 2009 to probe the deal.

"The Chaturvedi committee was at least fair to send a questionnaire and seek my explanation for some policy decisions on the deal, as I was also secretary of the space department during my tenure as ISRO chairman. After I sent a rejoinder and clarified the issues to their satisfaction, I thought the matter rested there," Nair recalled.

The prime minister had set up a panel May 31, 2011 under the chairmanship of former Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) Pratyush Sinha to study the recommendations of the Chaturvedi panel report. Nair said the panel had neither summoned him nor asked him to appear before it.

"It is a mystery to me on how the Sinha panel made a case against me to warrant such an action by the PMO. I wish it had given me a chance to clear the air. Instead, I have been convicted and sentenced without giving me a hearing... I strongly suspect the hand of Radhakrishnan who scuttled the deal but held us responsible for his misdeeds," Nair charged.

The prime minister had set up the Chaturvedi panel on Feb 10, 2011 to go into the Antrix-Devas agreement that was scrapped Feb 17, 2011.

The panel submitted its report to the prime minister March 12, 2011.

As per the deal, Devas was to get 90% of the transponders for 12 years from GSAT-6 and GSAT-6A satellites ISRO proposes to launch in the near future for communication and broadcasting services.

Reiterating that the contract was signed as per the policy prevailing then (2004), Nair said due to lack of clarity on ISRO's role in the operational aspects of the deal, facts and issues have been distorted.

"ISRO's role is to launch the twin satellites (GSAT-6 and GSAT-6A) and lease the transponders to the bidder at a cost, while it is the DoT (Department of Telecom) which charges for providing other links. When Devas applied for the satellite, there were no other bidders as the technology was new and there was no 3G or 4G for which the S-band spectrum is used to provide high speed links for various multimedia services," he said.

Contesting the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) valuation, Nair said when even the satellites were not launched or transponders leased and services began, how can a loss be estimated and the entire deal dubbed a scam?

The CAG in February 2011 estimated the loss to the exchequer to the tune of Rs 2 lakh crore (Rs 2 trillion) from the deal.

"The satellite spectrum cannot be equated with the land-based radio waves as the former's usage is restricted. The CAG has extrapolated the land based spectrum usage to space based one," Nair added.

Source: Indo-Asia News Service

]]> Wed, 08 FEB 2012 08:55:22 AEST Dehradun, India IANS) Jan 31, 2012 - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday slammed the union defence ministry for the blacklisting of ISRO and accused the government of having lost its "grace to govern".

"The unsavoury controversy involving senior scientists from ISRO is seriously damaging the reputation of one of India's best and highly respected institutions, of which the country has always been proud," BJP's national spokesperson Tarun Vijay said.

"The ISRO controversy, blacklisting of top scientists who had given their best in terms of scientific achievement and then again sending signals to rethink on the decision, gives a clear signal that this government has lost all sense of balance and grace to govern the country," Vijay said.

Vijay also slammed the government and the defence ministry for its stand on the age row surrounding Army chief Gen. V.K. Singh.

"The government has failed to uphold the constitutional principles of law, justice and fairness and is systematically ruining the institutions that have held the basic foundations of the constitution high," Vijay said.

ISRO chief G. Madhavan Nair and three other top scientists were blacklisted by the government for their alleged role in the $300 million (Rs.60 crore) spectrum deal between Antrix and the Bangalore-based Devas Multimedia Ltd in violation of rules, including competitive bidding through a global tender.

Antrix is the commercial arm of ISRO. Besides Nair, the other scientists indicted include former scientific secretary A. Bhaskarnarayana, ISRO's former satellite centre director K.N. Shankara and former Antrix Corporation executive director K.R. Sridharamurthi.

Source: Indo-Asia News Service

]]> Wed, 08 FEB 2012 08:55:22 AEST Subscribe to our daily selection of space, military, environment and energy newsletters responseText http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=0016gbbKsaiGSpQFojVO8ZoHw%3D%3D