Addressing a press conference organised by the French Ariane Space here today, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) programme director Dr Rangarajan said the private sector, with huge resources at their command, could go in for manufacture of satellites and earn huge profits with the demand from various user agencies on the rise -- both in the country and abroad.

While the ISRO had specialised in providing necessary strategic system's support, the public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited could provide experts in the public and private sectors electronic's support base and rocketry systems, Dr Rangarajan said.

With enormous returns on the investments within two to three years as against 10 to 15 years of the satellite's life, the industrycould thrive and bring laurels to the country, he said.

The state-of-the-art ground station facilities available with the master control facility at Hassan in Karnataka and other allied organisations should be utilised by the industry with the ISRO even readying itself this year to perfect launching capabilities through the Insat-3 series of the third generation satellites.

Referring to the launch of the multi-purpose Insat-2E satellite, the last of the second generation series built by ISRO, Dr Rangarajan said the 2,550 kg satellite with a payload of 327 kg and a 12-year-mission life was being thoroughly tested at the launch facility in French Guiana ever since it reached there on February 15.

The tests included fit-check with Ariane adapter, for solar array deployment systems and east and west antennae deployment and instant thermal protection systems before filling the propellants -- being conducted independently by a special ISRO team of scientists and later jointly with the Ariane team.

After`fuelling' the satellite from March 16 to 19, it would be shifted to the encapsulation hall for combined operations on March 25 till the launch, which would be from 03.30 hrs to 04.23 hrs (IST) on April 3, 1999 at Kourou. The master control facility at Hassan would take control of the satellite within half an hour of the launch.

The ISRO had hired the services of the ground station facilities of Perth in Australia, Fucino in Italy and Lake Cowachi in Canada for the first half hour.

The Insat-2E, costing between Rs. 200 crore to 220 crore, would be launched for almost one-and-a-half time its value (68 million dollars) from Kourou base in the French Guiana.

Dr Rangarajan said the scientists take a long time with ground preparations to avoid problems that arose in the case of Insat-2D. The ISRO, he said, had chosen Ariane Space Organisation for launching the vehicle as it was the world leader in satellite vehicle launching, apart from immediate availability of the satellite with it.

It would be adedicated launch this time from French Guiana. Earlier, Indian satellites were launched with other satellites like the Inmarsat. Soon, the ISRO would gain the satellite launching capability through its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicles (GSLV), now underway, Dr Rangarajan said.

An agreement between the Ariane Space and the ISRO for launching small satellites is also likely to materialise in April this year to benefit several customers in Asia.

Efforts are also underway to go in for the manufacture of exclusive satellites for either communication facilities or meteorological data instead of multi-purpose satellites, he said.

Giving details of the Insat-2E, Dr Rangarajan said the satellite would benefit telecommunication, television broadcasting and meteorological services including rain forecasting and disaster warning.

The satellite will also carry a charge coupled device camera, also for the first time in the Insat series. This apart, several new technologies were introduced in the Insat-2Eenabling more marketability of its pictures as the camera covered area ranging between west Europe and Australia and half the globe for meteorological data.