INSAT 4b installed atop ariane five launcher for Saturday takeoff

Bangalore, Mar 6 (UNI) Indian fourth generation communication satellite INSAT 4B has been installed atop Ariane five launcher at the European Spaceport of Korou in French Guyana for the early morning take off this Saturday.

INSAT 4B would be the second launch to be spin off on geosynchronous transfer orbit by Ariane five after United Kingdom's Skynet 5A, a spy satellite was hurled into the space. The launch would take between 0355 and 0428 hrs (IST) on March 10, according to Arianespace.

Expected to meet the requirements of Direct to Home (DTH) telecast using its 12 transponders in the KU band besides 12 C band transponders, INSAT 4B will be colocated with INSAT 3A at 93.5 Degrees East Longitude in geostationary orbit.

Though it was orignally intended to be the last launch for the INSAT 4B by Arianespace with the future satellites planned for launch from the Satish Dhawan Spaceport in Sriharikota, India is expected to launch INSAT 4G from an acquired launcher. According to the current schedule INSAT 4G, with 18 KU transponders and two BSS transponders and a GAGAN- Payuload was planned to be launched using GSAT 8 launch vehicle in 2008-09.

ArianeSpace said INSAT 4B was mounted in the lower payload position on Ariane 5 last weekend, clearing the way for integration of the United Kingdom's Skynet 5A satellite as the upper payload.

After both the satellites are perched in their alloted space in the upper stage of the launch vehicle, Ariane Five would rollout to the launch zone later in the week.

UNI