India telecom satellite ready for launch

December 19, 2005 People observe the launch of an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou

India's largest telecommunications satellite is go for launch later this week from French Guiana.

Press Trust of India reported late Sunday that the two-ton INSAT-4A satellite was in the final phases of the launch sequence that will culminate Thursday with the bird lifting off aboard an Ariane-5 rocket.

Once in place, the satellite will serve the Indian subcontinent with a dozen C-band transponders and another 12-Ku transponders that will provide television service under contract with Tata Sky.

INSAT-4A, the first of seven in the INSAT-4 series, has a projected 12-year life and weighs in at more than 4,500 pounds.

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