India telecom satellite ready for launch
December 19th, 2005
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.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International

