Better TV signals? ISRO confident of GSAT-16 launch on Sunday
06 Dec 2014
After being deferred twice, India's latest communication satellite GSAT-16 will be launched on Sunday from the space-port of Kourou in French Guiana, the Indian Space Research Organisation said today.
"The GSAT-16 launch is rescheduled on early morning of December 7 at 02:10 hrs (IST) from French Guiana," ISRO said on its website.
Hit by inclement weather, the launch of the satellite was deferred for the second time on Friday, and was rescheduled to be put into space in the early hours of today on the back of the Ariane 5 rocket.
But there was another delay due to weather today, forcing ISRO to reschedule the launch for Sunday.
The GSAT-16 is designed to augment India's space capacity in communication services, as it will be accompanied with DIRECTV-14, built by Space Systems/Loral (SSL) for operator DIRECTV to provide direct-to-home television broadcasts across the US.
A capacity crunch has forced ISRO to take on lease 95 transponders on foreign satellites, mainly for the use of private TV broadcasters.
GSAT-16, with a designated on orbit operational life of 12 years, will boost public and private TV and radio services, large-scale Internet and telephone operations.
GSAT-16 will replace INSAT-3E, decommissioned prematurely in April. It will be the 18th satellite to be launched by Arianespace for ISRO.
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