ISRO plans another satellie launch into GEO

Bangalore, Mar 12: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) might go in for one more acquired launch for putting another fourth generation satellite into geosynchronous orbit (GEO).

Though the agreement with Arianespace ended with the launch of INSAT-4B today, ISRO is toying up with going in for another launch for its four-tonne class satellite.

ISRO sources said the organisation was yet to announce its intention and once decided, a formal tender for launch would be floated.

As a relatively low cost launcher, Arianespace might bag the order.

For the INSAT satellite the immediate task however would be to fly the replacement of INSAT-4C which met a watery grave in the Bay of Bengal following the failure of the GSLV launch in July last year from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, near Chennai. The launch was expected to take place sometime in August or September this year. The Satellite would have 12 Ku band transponders.

It would be followed by GSAT-4, envisaged as a technology demonstrator carrying multi-beam Ka-band transponder, navigation payloads and a scientific payload. The launch was also slated for the next fiscal year.

GSAT-5/INSAT-4D configured as an exclusive C-band communication satellite with 12 normal C-band transponders and six extended C-band transponders would be launched by GSLV during 2008-09. It would be followed by GSAT-6/INSAT-4E with digital multimedia broadcasting payload planned for 2009-10.

GSAT-7/INSAT-4F, a multi-band satellite was also likely to be launched from the home soil while INSAT-4G, a Ku-band satellite carrying 18 transponders similar to those of INSAT-4A and INSAT-4B, besides two BSS transponders and a GAGAN payload is planned to be launched during 2009-10 from an acquired launch.

UNI