NEW DELHI – Mauritius will buy a Dornier DO-228 aircraft from India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) to boost maritime surveillance along its extensive coastline. The 1 billion rupees ($16 million) contract was signed by Mauritius and HAL on Nov. 27. “The Dornier aircraft has been fitted with several role-specific equipment to meet the specialized requirement of the customer,” Chairman of HAL Dr. R.K. Tyagi says.

NEW DELHI – India plans to assemble a consortium of private firms and state-run enterprises to make rockets and satellites in partnership with the country’s space agency over the next five years. Since its inception in the 1960s, the state-owned Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has been the sole producer of satellites and launch vehicles, besides procuring subsystems and components from the private sector and state-run companies.

India’s space program has ambitious goals, including new missions to the Moon and Mars, and improved Earth-observation, communications and GPS capabilities