Insat-3E moved to Kourou for August launch

Friday, 18 July 2003, 19:30 IST
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BANGALORE: INSAT-3E, India's latest communication satellite, has been airlifted to French Guyana in preparation for an August-end launch atop an Ariane rocket, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced Thursday. This is the fourth satellite in the INSAT-3 series. INSAT-3A, INSAT-3B and INSAT-3C are already functional and INSAT-3D, an advanced meteorological satellite, will be launched during 2004-05, an ISRO statement said. The 2,750-kg INSAT-3E carries 24 C-band transponders and 12 extended C-band transponders. It will enhance the capacity of the INSAT system, which now provides about 120 transponders in the C, extended C, Ku and S bands for various users. ISRO said appendages like the antennae and solar panels will be integrated with the INSAT-3E in the coming weeks before the spacecraft undergoes tests.
Source: IANS