NEW DELHI — India will finalize the schedule for the next launch of its heavy Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV-Mk III) by May or June of this year. Ground testing is in progress for the GSLV-Mk III, which can lift a 4-ton spacecraft. “Once all the parameters are tested it will be launched on an experimental mission,” says K. Radhakrishnan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). It will be fitted with an Indian-made cryogenic engine. The previous two launches of GSLV were unsuccessful.

NEW DELHI — The Indian government is likely to give its final approval this week for the $365 million purchase of 75 Pilatus trainer aircraft from Switzerland. Indian air force (IAF) chief N.A.K. Browne says the green light is expected from India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) within the next two days. As soon as the CCS gives its stamp of approval , “we should be able to sign the contract,” Browne says. Deliveries of the aircraft are expected to begin next year.

In a bid to bring in money and expertise to help its ailing aviation sector, India’s civil aviation ministry has proposed allowing international airlines to acquire stakes of up to 49% in the country’s airlines. “We all know the aviation industry is facing a lot of stress,” says Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh. “FDI [foreign direct investment] is one of the factors that will help the sector in this financial stress.”