ssingh
January 28, 2008, 11:28pm
79
Re: India launches Israeli Spy Satellite
Look Pegs! You don’t have to sound so “conspiratorial” about the cost. Payload may be sensitive, but the cost in $million has nothing to do with that.
Come to think of it. If it was a regular joe shmoe TV booster satellite, at launch cost of $30 million, then it won’t matter much if this “sensitive” satellite was launched at higher than normal $40 mils.
“sensitivity of the payload” has little to do with announcing the cost.
I bet the reason is that ISRO launched it for way-below cost just to get at least 2 launches in the whole of 2007.
And guess what! Indian taxpayers were duped in the name of “sensitivity”. Which by the way is an old trick to fool people.
You bet Israel had done the math and found out that it would be pennies on the dollar. They are smart. It was just the Indian media and public who got duped, and ended up financing the project of a third country who by the way is pretty rich.
I tend to believe this…This is with regard to the italian satellite that was lauched some time back
If the PSLV-C8 cost Rs.65 crore to build, it received about Rs.50 crore from the ISA to put Agile into orbit. Besides, it was able to test its own AAM.
http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2409/stories/20070518003003100.htm
But what if israel also allows india to use the satellite that was lauched???..So it might be worth it if it was charged below the actual rate.