INSAT-2E launched

BANGALORE, April 3 (PTI) — India broke into the global telecommunications services market with the successful launch of its first commercial telecom satellite, INSAT-2E, from Kourou in French Guiana early today.

The Rs 220-crore satellite built by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was blasted into space at 0333 hours (IST) by Europe’s Ariane rocket in a "text-book" launch, telecast live by Doordarshan.

The 2,550 kg Indian spacecraft, designed with a mission life of 12 years, was the lone "passenger" on board.

More than half of INSAT-2E capacity has already been sold out for US $ 100 million to the 104-nation consortium INTELSAT, based in Washington. All previous INSAT satellites were used by domestic agencies, mostly government, and did not earn any foreign exchange.

"For the first time, we have a foreign customer for our satellite," said a beaming ISRO Chairman, Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan, who witnessed the launch with an ISRO team that has been at Kourou since February 15.

"We are very thankful to Ariane space for dedicating the launch to INSAT-2E," he said in a post-launch speech while replying to flight director Jean Marie Luton who, describing ISRO as an important customer, said "I am impressed by the professionalism of the ISRO team."

The state-of-the-art INSAT-2E is likely to join the fleet of INTELSAT satellites by the first week of May. INTELSAT proposes to use 11 out of 17 transponders on board INSAT-2E to meet its operational requirement in the Asia-Pacific region.

INSAT-2E’s footprint covers all of Asia and Australia.

With the leasing out of INSAT-2E to overseas customer, ISRO has opened a new leaf in its 35-year-old history, establishing its credibility as a satellite manufacturer and signalling its entry into the global telecom business.

MCF Director S Rangarajan said INSAT-2E, the last of the second generation satellites, would begin commercial operation by end of April or early May.

Calibration of on board gyros has been carried out. The satellite is being tracked, apart from MCF at Hassan, by Intelsat’s groundstations at Perth (Australia), Fucino (Italy) and Lake Cowichan (Canada).

ISRO said the satellite would be put in the final circular geo-stationary orbit about 36,000 kms over the Equator by firing the on board apogee motor thrice. The first firing would take place at 0550 hours tomorrow to be followed by one on April 5 and the last on April 7.

Today’s launch was crucial for ISRO, which suffered a setback following the loss of transponder capacity due to the premature retirement of INSAT-2D in November 1997, hardly four months after its launch.

In addition to providing telecommunication services, INSAT-2E will take cloud pictures, beam TV programmes and give cyclone warnings.

The box-shaped INSAT-2E is the heaviest satellite built so far by ISRO. When fully deployed in orbit, it will measure 24.7 metres tip-to-tip. The solar panels are designed to generate 2143 watts of power.

The satellite uses some new technologies such as heat pipes to keep the temperature uniform, gallium arsenide (instead of silicon cells) to generate power from sunlight, and a spring made of "shape memory alloy" which changes its shape to offset seasonal variations in the pressure caused by sunlight on the solar panels.

The year 1999 is going to be a busy one for Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) which plans to launch five more satellites, including two foreign ones, before December end.

Close on the heels of the launch of INSAT-2E today, ISRO is scheduled to launch the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Sriharikota island by the middle of next month.

It will carry India’s first ocean-monitoring ‘OCEANSAT-1’ (IRS-P4) satellite and two foreign micro-satellites — KITSAT of Korea and TUBSAT of Germany — in the maiden triple launch by PSLC-C2.

ISRO, however, has not disclosed the money it will earn for launching the two satellites by PSLV.

The first of the third generation of satellites, INSAT-3B will be launched by Arianespace in the third or fourth quarter of this year, according ISRO Chairman K Kasturirangan.

PANAJI: Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee congratulated the entire ISRO fraternity on the successful launch of INSAT-2E.

Immediately after the news of the successful launching of the satellite was received, the Prime Minister spoke to the Secretary, Department of Space, Dr Kasturirangan and congratulated him on behalf of the nation. The Prime Minister said: "The country is proud of this achievement."