 the malfunction of which resulted in the failure of the GSLV mission in April 2010. In a setback to the ISRO, December's GSLV flight - powered by a Russian cryogenic engine - also failed.
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The GSLV is intended to make India self-reliant for launching communications satellites weighing up to 2.5t. ISRO was dependent on France's Arianespace for getting its INSAT communications satellites off the ground.
Radhakrishnan says the GSLV will be flown again in 2011. ISRO is also developing a heavy-lift-off GSLV Mk III capable of placing a 4t class satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit. In parallel, the agency is pursuing a technology demonstrator for a two-stage-to-orbit fully reusable space vehicle. And to support deep space missions, ISRO is developing a semi-cryogenic rocket stage fuelled by kerosene and liquid oxygen.
The four-stage Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) - which has alternative solid and liquid propulsion systems - is still India's space workhorse, having launched 25 foreign satellites and 19 Indian satellites so far. It has fed the success achieved by Antrix, the Indian space programme's commercial arm, in securing foreign satellite-launch contracts.
Indian industry meets about 60% of the Indian space programme's component requirements, with more than 500 small, medium and large companies contributing. But the industry has not matured sufficiently to build and deliver entire satellites and launch vehicles in a ready-to-use condition.
ISRO continues to value international co-operation as a way to boost its technological expertise and self-reliance. In December, French president Nicolas Sarkozy visited the ISRO Satellite Centre in Bangalore to review the progress of two Indo-French satellite projects to be launched this year by the PSLV.
Boeing and Lockheed Martin have held talks with ISRO for potential co-operation in India's manned flight missions. And, in recent years, Israel has emerged as a favoured ISRO partner. Its TECSAR reconnaissance satellite, featuring an all-weather microwave imaging payload, was launched by the PSLV on commercial terms in January 2008. As a quid pro quo, Israel helped ISRO build its microwave remote-sensing satellite RISAT-II, which was launched in April 2009.
ISRO also offers assistance to developing nations. In December 2009, Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh offered to make satellite resources data available to South-East Asian countries for managing natural disasters and launch support for orbiting small satellites. This was a clear attempt to expand the "soft power" of Indian space technology.