INSAT-3A Launch Planned for April 9th

ISRO’s multipurpose satellite, INSAT-3A, is scheduled for launch by Ariane-5 launch vehicle of Arianespace in the early hours of April 9, 2003 (as per IST), from Kourou in French Guyana.

The 2958 kg INSAT-3A is a multipurpose satellite for providing telecommunication, television broadcasting, meteorology and satellite aided search and rescue services. It carries 12 C-band, 6 upper extended C-band, 6 Ku-band and one search and rescue transponders. The meteorological instruments consist of a Very High Resolution Radiometer, a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) camera and a data relay transponder.

INSAT-3A carries twenty four transponders _ twelve operating in the normal C-band frequency, six in Extended C-band and six in Ku-band. Nine of the twelve normal C-band transponders provide expanded coverage and the remaining three have India coverage beam. All the extended C-band as well as the Ku-band transponders have India coverage beams. INSAT-3A also carries a Ku-band beacon.

For meteorological observation, INSAT-3A carries a three channel Very High Resolution Radiometer (VHRR) with 2 km resolution in the visible band and 8 km resolution in thermal infrared and water vapour bands. In addition, INSAT-3A carries a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) camera which operates in the visible and short wave infrared bands providing a spatial resolution of 1 km. A Data Relay Transponder (DRT) operating in UHF band is incorporated for realtime hydrometeorological data collection from unattended platforms located on land and river basins. The data is then relayed in extended C-band to a central location.

INSAT-3A also carries another transponder for Satellite Aided Search and Rescue (SAS & R) as part of India’s contribution to the international Satellite Aided Search and Rescue programme.

INSAT-3A is launched by European Ariane-5 Launch Vehicle into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) with a perigee of 200 km and an apogee of 35,980 km. The satellite is manoeuvered to its final orbit by firing the satellite’s apogee motor. Subsequently, the deployment of solar array, antennae and the solar sail is carried out and the satellite is commissioned after in-orbit checkout.

INSAT-3A is the third satellite in the INSAT-3 series. INSAT-3B and INSAT-3C were launched in March 2000 and January 2002 respectively by the Ariane launch vehicle and both the satellites are now providing regular service. INSAT-3A is to be located at 93.5 deg east longitude in the geostationary orbit.

INSAT is a multipurpose satellite system for telecommunications, broadcasting, meteorology and search & rescue services. Commissioned in 1983, INSAT is the largest domestic communication system in the Asia-Pacific Region. It now comprises of five satellites _ INSAT-2DT, INSAT-2E, INSAT-3B, INSAT-3C and METSAT _ with a total capacity of over hundred transponders in C, Extended C and Ku-bands besides meteorological instruments.

Another two satellites, INSAT-3D and INSAT-3E are planned for launch in the next two years followed by INSAT-4 series of satellites.