The launch of India's latest Communication Satellite -- INSAT-4CR -- from the spaceport of Sriharikota has been postponed by a day to September 2. Indian Space Research Organisation sources told UNI Wednesday that the postponement was due to the prevailing weather conditions in Sriharikota, which had been experiencing rains for the last couple of days.
''INSAT-4CR, which was earlier scheduled to be launched at 1630 hrs on September 1, will now be launched on September 2 at 1621 hrs,'' the sources added. This spacecraft would be identical to INSAT-4C, which was lost during the launch of Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F02) in July last year. In the aftermath of the last debacle, the ISRO scientists were taking all precautionary steps to ensure that the September 2 launch is successful.
The 2,130 kg satellite would be placed in the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit by the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F04), which would lift-off from the state-of-the-art second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The 49 metre tall GSLV is a three-stage vehicle and weighs 415 tons.
''The launch campaign is going on smoothly. So far we have not faced any hitch,'' ISRO officials said.
With a mission life of ten years, INSAT-4CR will carry 12 high-power Ku-band transponders designed to provide Direct-to-Home television services, facilitating video picture transmission and digital satellite news gathering.
GSLV is identical to the previous GSLV-FO2 launched on July 10 last year which had to be destroyed in mid-flight 56 seconds after the lift-off from Sriharikota when it veered too much from its path.
The mission had failed because one of the four strap-on motors, powered by liquid propellants, of the GSLV did not build the enough thrust.
UNI
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