(3 September 2007 1:30 pm)

MUMBAI: India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, GSLV-F04, had a successful launch on 2 September from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota and placed India's communication satellite Insat-4CR into the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).

Insat-4CR was built to replace an identical satellite, Insat-4C that was lost due to the failure of GSLV-F02 in July 2006.

(Courtesy-www.isro.org)

Insat-4CR is the third satellite in Insat-4 series. It carries 12 high-power Ku-band transponders designed to provide Direct-To-home (DTH) television services, Video Picture Transmission (VPT) and Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG), according to an official press statement issued by Isro.

In the coming days, Insat-4CR's orbit will be raised from its present elliptical GTO to the final Geostationary Orbit (GSO) by firing the satellite's Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) in stages. The satellite will be commissioned into service after the completion of orbit raising operations, checking out all its transponders and positioning it in its designated orbital slot of 74 degree East longitude in the GSO. There, it will be co-located with Kalpana-1, Insat-3C and Edusat.

GSLV was commissioned after both its developmental test flights conducted in April 2001 and May 2003 were successful. In its first operational flight on 20 September 2004, GSLV launched the 1,950 kg Edusat into GTO. However, the second operational flight, GSLV-F02, with Insat-4C on board, conducted on 10 July 2006, did not succeed. Insat-4CR is the fifth flight of GSLV and the fourth successful one.

Insat-4CR was developed by Isro Satellite Centre, Bangalore. The payloads were developed by Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad. Master Control Facility at Hassan is responsible for all post launch operations of the satellite.

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